Filial Piety
by Sweet Honey-sempai
Summary: Sequel to Southeast of Eden. Family is important, no matter what state you left it in. Chapter 11: Tsubaki, Eileen, and Maria face down a Shikome, with tragedy left in the battle's wake.
1. What Nightmares May Come

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yami no Matsuei

**Shout-outs:** I don't know why, but I'm getting more and more petrified of reading my reviews. I think it's because I invest so much into this that the fear of getting a negative reaction is strong. There's also the fact that I'm constantly doubting the quality of my work, since I'm extremely busy and don't have all my energy to put into it. I really must learn some Buddhist detachment techniques.

Aacire: I glad you think "Kaneko" suits her very well. Ah, the fun of imaging TatWat's kids…those'll be some screwed up children.

As for what happened with Miya, you'll find out this chapter!

Masami-chan: Yep, she totally deserves it. She's gotten herself turned into a child trying to make it happen! (See volume 6)

If you google "flower symbolism" you'll find a lot. Also, there are plenty of fics out there utilizing flower symbolism. Check them out!

Amethyst-eyed Koneko: Yeah, if you flamed me I'd probably cry. Just a little. It's probably because I know you are the most invested fan I have, so I'd know I'd let you down big time. (Puts self-esteem problems back on the shelf where they belong. Luna can't afford to have them out, since it's callback audition week and she's up for a big role)

I didn't even think about Kaneko and Koneko! I picked out Kaneko _long_ ago. Probably before I even started writing Second Death. And yes, Tatsumi would make an awesome dad, if he doesn't go overboard on the discipline. Kaneko would temper him out, though.

_Of course_ Kushinada's appearance is foreshadowing. It's the lynchpin of the third installment. I learned my lesson in Second Death; there's nothing (or not much) in Eden that isn't relevant for the future.

Oh, wow, I didn't even think about how Yoshiro would look freakishly similar to Hijiri. They _would_ be so adorable together. (Glomps them) I'm so glad Yoshiro did not become a dead plotline. I mentioned before that Rui was already supposed to be pregnant in Second Death but I wrote it out. I thank my muses that I wrote him back in. (I also seriously considered leaving Yoshiro in Rui and Nagare's hands—before I thought of the third plot—so good thing I changed my mind!)

This story starts six years after the end of Eden, so we skip all of the infant years, but here's what I think. Raising the baby could either put more stress on them, or take their minds off their problems. Fortunately, I picked the latter way.

By the way, aside of T/H and the two W/Ts, there's _another_ couple who wind up having a baby. I'll let you guess; you'll find out who it is next chapter.

I love you too, George!

Kiko812: Put this one on your LJ Fave's List? Please? (Puppy eyes)

Demonyo: Here you go!

AnimeAngelRin: Hmm…I wasn't expecting laughter! But since it's a good reaction, I'm grateful for it. Enjoy the next storyline!

laustic: Isn't it, though?

Chrono21: You might want to get your Muse to bed so she can work off the hangover. Keep your ninjas back! Here's the next story all laid out for you!

**Side Note #1:** Shizonai is a rendering of Sydonai, which is a rendering of Asmodai, a demon. I needed to make his name more Japanese.

**Side Note #2:** An oiran is the top prostitute in a brothel.

* * *

What Nightmares May Come

* * *

"Kushinada-_san_, where are you going?"

"To hang up the laundry!" Kushinada called back brightly, a basket of wet clothes in her hands.

"It's almost nine at night, Kushinada-_san_," Kira said flatly.

"I know, but I forgot to do this earlier," she said, having the grace to look embarrassed.

"What am I going to do with you?" Kira admonished with affection exaggeration.

"I dunno," Kushinada said, and Kira could not make out if she was joking or serious. "But the laundry has to get done!"

"That it does," Kira said, holding the door open for her charge. Kushinada swept out ungracefully with a blithe statement of gratitude before turning to humming a new song she had heard on the radio and not memorized the entire tune to.

She had set the laundry basket down and was reaching for the clips when a rustle in the bushes caught her attention.

"Who's there?" she yelped, jumping backwards like an agitated cat. "Who are you?"

"Kushinada…-_sama_."

"Who's there?" Kushinada demanded shrilly.

"Kushinada-_sama_."

A deformed, furry, winged brown creature tumbled out of the bushes, breathing heavily. He glanced on her for a fleeting moment and then dropped to his knees before her.

"I finally found you…Kushinada-_sama_."

"_What are you_?" Kushinada asked, her voice reaching hysteria.

The creature hesitated, deliberating with himself, and then lurched forward, sinking his teeth into Kushinada's hand.

She made to scream but something cut her off. Familiarity was pulsing through her skin as he more fervently sucked of her blood, the saliva from his teeth entering her veins.

"Shizonai," she said, and he looked up at her, grinning.

"My lady."

"Where have you been these past six years?"

"Anywhere we can survive and searching for you," Shizonai replied bitterly. "There are only a handful of us left. Only the most powerful survived the destruction, and the weakest among those have all died. Forgive me my impertinence for feasting off of you, but I would have died had I not taken some of your energy."

"Don't grovel; I forgive you," Kushinada said plainly. "What is it you wish of me? I have a comfortable life here." A thought struck her. "Do you intend to try and take over the Five Realms again?"

"No! No, definitely not," Shizonai said. "There are barely twenty of us left, and we'd have Heaven swooping down on us in a second if they knew we were planning that again."

"Then what is it you want?"

"Revenge. Don't you? On those people who killed your husband, Izanami, the rest of the royal family?"

"Revenge…that was a forte of my husband," Kushinada said, a ball forming in her throat as she thought of him. "I'm afraid it doesn't suit me quite as well."

"Honor him, Kushinada-_sama_!" Shizonai urged. "He would have gotten revenge had _you_ been murdered."

"I…" Kushinada looked back uncertainly at Kokakuro. "I work here…"

"You, the Queen of hell, working in a brothel?" Shizonai's eyes lit up even as he feigned indignation.

"Keep your wits, you lecher!" Kushinada said huffily. "I'm a maid."

"Working as a _maid_ and not the oiran?"

"What did I just say?" she demanded, and he bowed his head deeply in apology.

"Forgive me, my Lady," he said. "But…Susano-_sama_ would want revenge."

"On who, exactly?"

"On those responsible for his death. He would have slaughtered them _and_ their families, too, just like they murdered him and Izanami-_sama_ and Kazutaka-_sama_."

"I…" Kushinada hesitated, stepping back. "I have a good life here. I'm not among the damned…I needn't destroy anything…" She shut her eyes tightly. When she reopened them, they were full of remorse. "Shizonai, no."

"Traitor!" Shizonai yelled, jumping to his feet, his eyes red with anger.

"If that's what I am, so be it," Kushinada said pacifically. "I won't go back to that life. I'm no longer your lady. Please…get yourself a normal life in Chijou and forget about revenge. This is my last order as your queen. I'm sorry."

She turned away, biting her lower lip.

"You…you treacherous _whore_! I'll get you back the way you were!"

"Shizonai!"

Kira heard a terrified scream from outside.

She dropped the plate she had been holding and sprinted for the door. As she pulled it open a gust of wind nearly pushed her off her feet but she shoved her way through it.

"Kushinada!"

For an instant Kira thought she saw two of Kushinada standing in the yard. In the next instant the double-vision was over, and there was nothing there but a dropped laundry basket and a semi-conscious young woman lying on the ground.

"Kushinada!" Kira was kneeling at her side in an instant, shaking her shoulders. Kushinada's blank eyes refilled with life.

"Kira-_sama_."

"What the hell happened here?" Kira demanded.

"I…" Kushinada blinked confusedly. The world was spinning around her and her chest felt light. "Kira-_sama_, I think my soul's been split."

"_What_?"

* * *

"Heh…first stop, Kurosaki house. Isn't that right, Kushinada-_sama_?"

"If you think it best," Kushinada replied flatly.

"Of course I do." Shizonai laughed, incapable of knowing the irony of his thoughts. "After all, in revenge, one should always go for the family first. It's the throat of the body you're getting vengeance on."

"As they say, go for the jugular."

* * *

"Hisoka-_niisan_?"

"Your brother's awake," Tsuzuki whispered.

"Nng," was Hisoka's grunted reply. "Before ten AM he's _your_ brother."

"Hisoka-_niisan_." Yoshiro's voice was growing insistent as he tugged on his brothers' sheets. "Hisoka-_niisan_!" A tearful hiccup escaped with the last syllable.

"What's the matter, Yoshiro?" Hisoka asked, rolling over, the sound of tears rousing him.

"I had an ax'dent," Yoshrio said in a small voice.

"Oh great," Hisoka muttered softly, now fully awake. He was finally catching the scent of urine emanating off Yoshiro's trembling little body. "All right, let's get you cleaned off." He slid out of bed and took his younger brother's hand as Tsuzuki sat up. "Tsuzuki, can you put his clothes and sheets through the washer?"

"Yeah, of course," Tsuzuki said, pulling back the covers and getting out of bed, exiting with the pair of siblings though entering Yoshiro's room instead of the bathroom.

"You haven't wet the bed in a long time," Hisoka said, gingerly peeling the soiled bedclothes off his brother. "Not since you were still in diapers."

"I' _sorry_," Yoshiro whimpered, tears starting in his eyes.

"I'm not mad at you," Hisoka reassured, lifting Yoshiro by the armpits and placing him in the bathtub. He reached over to start the water running.

"Cold," Yoshiro complained, the water reaching his feet.

"Give the water a chance to warm up," Hisoka said. "You're so impatient."

"He learned it from you," Tsuzuki said, entering the bathroom only to rapidly ferret away the dirtied fabrics before reprisal.

"I' sorry I' 'mpatient," Yoshiro apologized ashamedly.

"You got _that_ from Tsuzuki," Hisoka muttered to himself. "I'm not angry with you, _otouto_. It's just a bit early and Hisoka-_niisan_ is cranky, okay?"

"Okay."

"So what happened?" Hisoka asked, reaching for a bar of soap. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Yoshiro nodded.

"What about? Can you tell me?"

"This _man_," Yoshiro said as Hisoka began to rub the bar on his body, "he lookeded like _you_, and this _old_ man did something _bad_ to him and he started bleededing, and this scary lady laughed and…" He hiccupped again. "It was _awful_."

"Okay, okay, you don't have to tell me about it anymore," Hisoka said, continuing to clean off his brother.

"I was _scared_," Yoshiro insisted. "He lookeded like _you_."

"It was just a nightmare," Hisoka said, and suddenly it struck him that this might have been the first time he had comforted someone else with that quip that was more often than not a lie. "Okay…hold your nose."

Yoshiro's fingers pinched his nose shut.

"Deep breath."

Yoshiro's cheeks puffed out.

"Three…two…one."

Yoshiro slid down into the water and shook himself vigorously to rinse off all the soap. He emerged with a dramatic gasp.

"Feel better?" Hisoka asked, wiping the stray bubbles off his brother with a towel.

"Mm-hmm," Yoshiro said, nodding emphatically.

"Good." Hisoka wrapped a towel around his brother's above-water body and pulled him out of the tub, swathing the rest of it around his legs as they surfaced.

"What was the problem?" Tsuzuki asked, appearing in the doorway.

"He had a nightmare," Hisoka explained, as Tsuzuki picked up a smaller towel and began drying Yoshiro's hair with it. "I'll tell you about it later."

"Tsuzu-_nii_, it was really _awful_," Yoshiro said, huddling himself into a tighter ball inside the towel.

"Really? That bad?" Tsuzuki asked rhetorically. Yoshiro nodded miserably. "Then how about this: you wanna sleep with us tonight? Would that make you feel less awful?"

"Yeah," Yoshiro said. "That'd be gooder."

"Better," Hisoka corrected automatically.

"That too," Tsuzuki interrupted, smiling, taking Yoshiro from Hisoka's arms. "So let's get you into some nightclothes and into bed, okay?"

"Okay," Yoshiro replied sleepily, settling his head against Tsuzuki's collarbone.

"What was his nightmare about?" Tsuzuki asked, exiting the bathroom.

Hisoka glanced at his half-asleep brother. "I think it was about my father."

"Are you serious?" Tsuzuki whispered back, entering Yoshiro's room and setting the body down on his mattress.

"He said there was a man who looked like me," Hisoka replied, going to the closet to pull out a yukata. "And an old man who killed him. That sounds like my father and uncle."

"Did I 've a dream about my papa?" Yoshiro asked tiredly.

"Maybe," Hisoka answered, standing Yoshiro up and pulling the robe around him. "But we don't know why, because you haven't seen him since you were a newborn."

"That's a-'cause he's a bad man, right, Hisoka-_niisan_?"

"Exactly," Hisoka said, pulling Yoshiro into his arms and carrying him to his and Tsuzuki's bedroom. He sat down on the bed and deposited Yoshiro onto the middle of the mattress, moving to the right of him as Tsuzuki took the left.

"Now, you go to sleep, and no more nightmares, okay?" Hisoka said, gently pushing Yoshiro underneath the blanket.

"Mm-kay," Yoshiro said, shutting his eyes and nestling his head into the pillow. "'Night-night."

"Good night," Hisoka replied, placing a small kiss on his brother's temple.

"So, you really think it was about your father?" Tsuzuki asked, resting his hand on Yoshiro's silky cheek.

"If it means anything at all, it can't be about anything else; no one here looks like me," Hisoka said. "And the old guy stabbing him sounds pretty much like my family's internal unrest." He frowned. "There are two things that bug me."

"What's that?" Tsuzuki asked, settling underneath the blanket and pulling Yoshiro closer to him.

"First off is that he's even dreaming about them at all."

"You think he might have some kind of empathic ability?"

"Wouldn't surprise me. With all those spirits floating around that house, he might have picked something up when he was born. Hell, maybe even when she was still pregnant with him."

Tsuzuki stroked Yoshiro's hair and kissed his forehead. "You think he'll have your power when he gets older?"

"If he does, at least he'll get treated better than I was."

"Mm," Tsuzuki acknowledged. "What's the other thing?"

"He said there was a woman there, too; she was laughing. That doesn't sound like my mother. They're in everything together."

"Did he say what she looked like?"

Hisoka shook his head. "It scared him too badly. He probably won't remember, anyway."

"I have a feeling this isn't going to play out well, if it's not just a random dream."

"Of course it's not just a dream, and of course it's going to go badly," Hisoka said, sliding underneath the bed covers and wrapping his arm around the sleeping Yoshiro's waist.

"We can't really do anything about it right now, though, can we?" Tsuzuki asked.

"No," Hisoka replied, "and I'm too damn tired to figure it out just now."

"Shh, language," Tsuzuki admonished teasingly, tapping the sleeping Yoshiro. "There's a child present."

"Shut up," Hisoka said, exasperated and affectionate. Tiredness was overcoming him.

"Yes sir," Tsuzuki said with a laugh in his voice, craning over Yoshiro's head to kiss Hisoka. "Love you."

"Love you too," Hisoka answered, the hand on Yoshiro reaching over to take Tsuzuki's, so his arm covered his brother like a protective railing.

* * *

"What the hell…"

Nagare stood up from where he had managed to land, cat-like, on his feet. He stood amid a grove of sakura trees, their leaves gleaming in the moonlight.

He placed his hand on his stomach. The gaping hole that Iwao had twisted into his intestines with a knife was gone; fully healed and almost non-existent but for the ripped, bloodstains on the cloth.

"Welcome," a voice said in his ear, and Nagare turned around to come face-to-face with a silver mask a floating pair of gloved hands. He stumbled backwards in shock.

"_Who the hell are you_?" Nagare demanded.

"My name is the Count," the aristocrat replied, eyeing Nagare. "I wasn't expecting you. I wonder what he'll do when he knows you're here…"

"Where am I?"

"In Meifu, the Realm of Judgment," the Count answered. "You have died and not passed on. Some pressing regret that you have keeps you from going straight to Enma's courtroom."

"Am I a Shinigami?" Nagare said, a thought germinating in his head.

"Yes. Not employed by Juohcho, of course, but a Shinigami nonetheless."

"I am Kurosaki Hisoka's father," Nagare said.

"Yes, I know," the Count said, stepping back and folding his hands.

"Has he moved on?"

"No, I'm afraid Yoshiro-_kun_ keeps him and Tsuzuki quite busy."

"Yoshiro?" Nagare said questioningly. "Who's Yoshiro?"

The Count cocked an eyebrow. "You don't know? How charming."

"Don't screw with me, freakshow."

"_Where_ are your manners?" the Count said indignantly. "The five-year-old has more decorum than you. Well, I sha'n't tell you if your attitude is that poor."

"Is it my other son?"

"My, aren't we clever," the Count said flatly.

"That little wretch…she said he died and they took him away before we saw him!"

"Smart girl," the Count said drolly. "She must be an excellent actress. Or you must be an exceptional fool, either/or."

"_Where are they_?"

"You don't expect me to tell _you_, the man that dear little boy had to be _rescued_ from, do you?" the Count said, looking at Nagare as if he were a common idiot. "You'll just have to find them on your own, Nagare-_kun_." He smiled coyly. "I bid you adieu."

"Wha—"

The Count had gone, leaving him in the grassy meadow alone.

"Find them on my own, huh?" Nagare repeated. He smirked. "I'll do just that."


	2. Family Reunion

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yami no Matsuei

**Shout-outs:**

Chrono21: Be nice to your Muse; he gives you ideas. Oh, and I have a male muse, too. He's my humor muse, so he's not good for anything.

Regarding death…there _will_ be deaths. I will not tell you who will die, though.

Originally Kushinada was supposed to have gone with Shizonai immediately. Her soul would be split much later on. I changed that plan to make the scene's pacing better. Now I've got to work out the relevance of the scene Kushinada was originally supposed to split in. Hmm…

What is the present equivalent to precognitive abilities? Just plain cognitive? Then that's the ability Yoshiro has. It's not very developed, seeing as the boy is only five and a half years old, but it'll come back into play later on…I think.

Wakaba and Terazuma _do_ have children, but they weren't the couple I was talking about. You'll see…

laustic: Here's the chapter for you!

AnimeAngelRin: I'll go and fix that soon. Read on to see what Nagare does.

Amethyst-eyed Koneko: I can't predict authors, either, so don't worry. (Except Shakespeare. Then the formula is: random sexing, and then people die).

We will see more of Kushinada-_jin_ (the good one, as opposed to Kushinada-_youkai_), but she's a long way off yet. To be honest, I don't know how long this one is going to be, since it's not in complete outline form yet.

Do you know how odd it is to write Hisoka raising a child? He seems like the kind of person who would hate children. What's funny is that during the Devil's Trill arc, he spends a lot of time looking after Kazusa. I find that little paradox cute. Not as cute as Yoshiro of course. I hope I'm writing a five-year-old realistically.

The Count wins at life (death?) because of that scene. Regarding Nagare being a "Shinigami", I'm simply using it as a term applying to all those who live in Meifu. It doesn't really have any "official" capacity.

Kiko812: Welcome back to fanfiction!

Eternity's Heir: I'm glad you enjoyed both chapters. Please continue to like the story!

**Off-Topic Rambling #1:** New song for the T/H Jukebox: "Moonfall" from The Mystery of Edwin Drood. It fits perfectly with the honeymoon chapter from Second Death or chapter 14 from Eden ("Before the cloak of night reveals the morn/Time holds its breath while it conceals the dawn/And in the moonfall, all sound is frozen still/Yet warm against me/Your skin will warm the chill/Of Moonfall … Betwixt our hearts, let nothing intervene/Between our eyes, the only sight I've seen/Is lust'rous moonfall as it blinds my view/So that soon I only see but you").

Oddly enough, the reprise to that song, "The Name of Love", sounds like an exchange between Tsuzuki and Muraki ("You call it love/I call it rude/I call it lust/I call it lewd/I call it cruel/I cannot bear/To call it love/I think it foul/I think it vile/No more I'll take/Of cunning guile/You're worse than bad/You give to sin/The name of love" and "You have no choice/Is it so much/For me to ask?/I only seek/The name of love/I love to hear/The angry bite/Of your fair voice/One blazing night/You will submit/And give your fate/The name of love", respectively).

* * *

Family Reunion

"Tsu-_baachan_!"

"Yoshiro-_kun_!"

Tsubaki crouched down in time to catch Yoshiro in her arms.

"Thanks again, Tsubaki-_hime_," Hisoka said, fixing his sleeve.

"Hey, I'm just thankful not to be working with Terazuma anymore," Tsubaki said. During Wakaba's second pregnancy she had taken the woman's job as a Shinigami. The pair had eagerly exchanged spots after Wakaba's son was born and Wakaba began letting Kaneko baby-sit (chemical-free, of course); she was tired of sitting at home no matter how much she enjoyed being doted on by her husband, and Tsubaki was terrified of working with that husband anymore. "Baby-sitting is better than being hollered at for talking on a mission."

"I bet you'll be working with him again soon enough; they seem even more keen on popping out babies than Kaneko is," Tsuzuki said, smiling at the jibe he was sending Terazuma's way.

"Well, you started a trend," Tsubaki said, standing up. "You brought Yoshiro home, and then _everybody_ started having kids. Even the Shiki."

"Well, Suzaku and Touda weren't really _planning_ on Hiko," Tsuzuki corrected. "He just kinda _happened_. But Seiryuu and Kouchin haven't had any kids yet."

"I give them a year," Hisoka muttered.

"Watch, Eileen will want one soon enough," Tsubaki said, twisting her three-years-worn wedding band around her finger.

"How's she dealing with you coming all the way out here?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Oh, she's fine."

"Even when you work here?"

"We can stand a long-distance arrangement. Besides, Hong Kong keeps her busy."

"Tsu-_baachan_, I wan' play outside!" Yoshiro said impatiently, tugging at her skirt.

"Yoshiro, behave yourself," Hisoka said warningly.

"We'll go play in the garden today, okay, Yoshiro-_kun_?" Tsubaki said, picking the boy up. "You two better go. You'll be late."

"Don't be fooled: she's kicking us out to get Yoshiro for herself," Tsuzuki said.

"Well, maybe," Tsubaki said, smiling. "Say good-bye to your brothers, okay?"

Yoshiro outstretched his arms to hug Tsuzuki's neck, and then Hisoka's.

"We'll be back at six if we don't have to go topside," Hisoka said. "We'll call if something comes up and we need you to stay overnight. He's in bed by seven-thirty. Feed him something _healthy_," he added, eyeing Tsuzuki, who looked sheepish, "when he gets hungry."

"I will," Tsubaki said, laughing.

"Bye-bye!" Yoshiro crowed, waving enthusiastically.

* * *

The warm sun woke Nagare from a surprisingly sound sleep leaning against the trunk of a sakura tree. He thought it odd that one could sleep like a rock after being stabbed in a modern day spin-off of hara-kiri.

He rose and glanced around. The place bore a striking resemblance to portraits of Tokyo before industrialization. In the distance he saw rooftops of what looked like residential houses.

"I suppose I should start there."

* * *

"Kurosaki, Tsuzuki, could you step into my office?"

The pair stopped and turned towards where Konoe had called them. "What's the matter?" Hisoka asked.

"I've got a double whammy for you," Konoe said, gritting his teeth.

"Oh great…" A dark cloud hung over their heads as they entered Konoe's office.

"First off, Kira called. You remember that Kushinada woman she was harboring?"

"Yeah," Tsuzuki said, an anxious knot forming in his stomach at the thought of his ancestor.

"She was attacked by one of the demons that escaped Hell and survived the obliteration."

"Is she still alive?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Yes, but the demon did something to her. Kushinada says the demon—Shizonai, she called him—split her soul."

"He _what_?" Hisoka demanded.

"Split her soul. He transmuted a body from the earth with power he had stolen from her, and sucked half her soul—the repressed demon queen half—into it."

"So we've got a demon queen on our hands again," Hisoka said, ready to spit. "I _knew_ crap would happen today."

"That's not all," Konoe continued, chewing his lip. "She's made her first action against you. Apparently she doesn't know you're on bad terms with your family…"

"What?"

"Last night Kurosaki Iwao stabbed his brother to death. He's pled insanity. With your family's history I _would_ normally say that he's lying, but given that the soul-splitting and the murder coincide, I'd bet my –ss she's responsible for the death."

"It's just like Yoshiro's dream," Tsuzuki whispered in Hisoka's ear.

"That's not the end of it," Konoe said.

"What else?" Hisoka asked, fearing the answer.

"The Count contacted me earlier today. He said…"

* * *

"Tsu-_baachan_, look! A worm!"

"How cute!" Tsubaki said brightly, astoundingly good-natured with all manner of creepy-crawlies despite growing up as a sheltered debutante. "Why don't you put a little hole in the ground for it to slide into? Did you know worms let the earth breathe?"

"Th' earth can't _breathe_!" Yoshiro exclaimed. "It don't have a _nose_!"

"Excuse me."

Tsubaki nearly jumped at the unfamiliar masculine voice that seemed barely an inch behind her. She turned around and stood, brushing dirt off her skirt and trying to regain composure and dignity. Yoshiro sprung up from his hands and knees and hid his face in Tsubaki's shirt, his hands clutching the fabric as he peeked his large green eyes around her legs.

"Can I help you?" Tsubaki asked.

"Is that child Kurosaki Yoshiro?" Nagare asked, glancing down at Yoshiro, who pulled back fearfully.

"Yes," Tsubaki said, folding her arm behind her to cover Yoshiro's head.

"Good." His hand reached out for Yoshiro.

"What are you doing?" Tsubaki yelped, stepping backwards and taking Yoshiro with her.

"I'm Kurosaki Nagare. This boy is my child."

"You're crazy," Tsubaki accused. "And even if you _were_ Nagare, I wouldn't let you anywhere _near_ Yoshiro, not with his track record."

Tsubaki let out a sudden startled cry as Nagare's palm slapped against her cheek, nearly knocking her off-balance. Her free wrist was suddenly caught in Nagare's grasp. He bent it backwards, silently threatening it with breaking point.

"Tsu-_baachan_!" Yoshiro cried.

"Let go of me," Tsubaki said, weakly aggressive.

"Young lady, I could snap you in half in an instant if I wanted," Nagare said bluntly. "Move out of the way before I get the chance."

"Tsu-_baachan_!"

"_Take your filthy hands off her, you ugly animal_!"

A large black purse collided solidly with Nagare's head, forcing him to stumble to the side.

"Eileen-_chan_!" Tsubaki gasped alongside Yoshiro's "Eileen-_baachan_!"

"Woman, what do you keep in there?" Nagare growled, holding his throbbing head.

"Bricks. Three of them." The Queen Camellia had taught her well. "What are you doing, harassing my wife?"

"He wants Yoshiro," Tsubaki said, scooping her sobbing charge into her arms protectively.

"Oh, a child molester, eh?" Eileen said, cocking her eyebrow with a sneer. "Well, I've had my share of perverts before, and I know _exactly_ what to do with them." She brandished her purse, eyeing vulnerable parts.

"Eileen-_baachan_, that's my papa!" Yoshiro yelled out, tears running down his face.

"He's your…_what_?"

"_Yoshiro_!"

Nagare turned around and the half-familiar screech. Tsuzuki and Hisoka, nearly out of breath from panic, stopped just a few feet short of Nagare.

"Hisoka-_niisan_!" Yoshiro reached forward, waving his arms, still crying. "Tsuzu-_nii_!"

Tsuzuki broke out of the trance-like state first and went forward, skirting around Nagare as if expecting the man to suddenly attack him, to Yoshiro. Tsubaki huddled with Tsuzuki, unwilling to relinquish her hold on the toddler.

"What the _hell_ happened here?" Hisoka threw out like a challenge, fury begging to escape with his voice.

"This man showed up demanding to take Yoshiro," Tsubaki said, sending a venomous glare at Nagare. "I wouldn't let him."

"Hisoka-_niisan_, he _hitted_ Tsu-_baachan_!" Yoshiro yelled. Tsuzuki began wiping away Yoshiro's tears.

"I came here for a visit since it's been slow today," Eileen said steely. "When I got here he was near to breaking Camille's wrist. I hit him with my purse."

"Had the bricks in it?" Tsuzuki asked, finally managing to pull Yoshiro out of Tsubaki's arms.

"Of course. And then you two showed up."

Hisoka nodded his acknowledgment. "Is your wrist okay, Tsubaki-_hime_?"

"Yeah," Tsubaki said, cupping her hand in her other one as Eileen came around beside her to inspect the almost-injury for herself.

"Good. Thanks for holding him off. You…you can go home now. Tsuzuki and I have the rest of the day off. We'll deal with this."

"Hisoka, is this man really your father?" Tsubaki questioned.

"Unfortunately," Hisoka said shortly. "Please…go home now."

"Sure…" Tsubaki said uncertainly, allowing Eileen to take her hand and pull her away.

"Tsuzuki, take Yoshiro inside, please," Hisoka said as the pair disappeareed, not looking at anyone but his father.

"Yeah," Tsuzuki said, staring at Nagare before turning his entire concentration to Yoshiro. "Hey, don't cry, okay? Hisoka-_niisan_ is going to get rid of your scary papa." He lightly kissed Yoshiro's forehead and bore him away into the house, shutting the door behind him. Both Hisoka and Nagare heard the click of the lock.

"What are you doing here?" Hisoka asked, still fighting to control himself. "That's some fine nerve you have," he said before Nagare could reply. "Even after death, your only thought is to screw up my life. You were seriously going to break her wrist, weren't you?"

"If she didn't give him to me, yes, I would have."

"What in hell were you going to do with Yoshiro if you'd taken him?"

"I'd like _you_ to know the pain of having a child disappear right from under you," Nagare said coolly.

"Oh, like you give a _sh-t_," Hisoka spat.

"I _am_ the boy's father."

"Yoshiro doesn't _have_ a father," and both Hisoka and Nagare looked to where Tsuzuki was now standing on the porch. "Yoshiro has two brothers who have raised him since he was two days old."

Nagare cocked an eyebrow. "Really. I wouldn't think you two would be mentally stable enough to raise a child."

"Yeah, we're two pretty f-cked up individuals, partly in thanks to you," Hisoka said poisonously. "But we got over ourselves long enough to realize that he is _far_ more important than we are. That's something _you_ can never accomplish, and that's exactly why you're not fit to raise a _plant_, let alone a kid."

"Yoshiro has powers like Hisoka does," Tsuzuki said informatively. "He saw your death _in his dreams_ last night."

"And he'll never see the inside of a basement for it," Hisoka added acidly. "Because unlike you, we actually love him."

"Get out of here, Nagare," Tsuzuki said flatly. "There's no reason for you to be here."

"Really?" Nagare said amusedly. "Well, I'm not leaving Meifu. I have some "pressing regret" that I need to take care of, apparently."

"Then get it over with and leave us alone," Hisoka said through clenched teeth.

"And if this regret should involve you?"

"I don't give one _damn_ if it does," Hisoka snarled, grabbing Tsuzuki's wrist. "I don't have the time to listen to your crap in any case. I have a little boy who _you_ just terrified who needs to know that there's someone in his family who isn't a piece of sh-t."

The door slammed behind Hisoka and Tsuzuki, leaving Nagare standing like a stone on the road, unknowing that Yoshiro rushed to hug his shaking elder brother who had sat down hard on the couch, trying to give as well as receive comfort from the action.


	3. Informative

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yami no Matsuei

**Shout-outs:** It looks like you guys really enjoyed Eileen having bricks in her purse. I swear I did not mean to lift that from 101 Dalmatians. It really did just coincide. Oh, and I'll give major props and schnoogleglomps to anyone who can tell me what movie "Take your filthy hands off her, you ugly animal!" comes from ("her" should actually read "me" for the original quote).

Kiko812: (Promises new chapter)

Eternity's Heir: Having Nagare and Tsubaki in a confrontation is so unusual. That's a fight you think _should_ happen, but never will.

And I love Yoshiro too. He's such a sweetie.

AnimeAngelRin: You're right. The more I think on it, the more odd it seems to me that he went there first. Oh well. Call it another anomaly or something. Maybe George has a long-lost cousin.

laustic: I'm afraid Nagare's regret is a little more selfish than that. I'm sorry to lead you in that direction; I meant him to say it as a way of goading Hisoka.

Chrono21: Yes, T/S had a kid, and out of wedlock, too. Just couldn't keep their hands off each other. I figured out a place to put Byakko in the next chapter.

Phaerie-Mage1313: I'm so glad I'm done with chemistry. Anyway. Thank you for the compliment. I hope you did well on your audition.

Amethyst-eyed Koneko: Easy, girl. Cleansing breaths. (Passes out sedatives)

The reason I always find it hard to imagine Hisoka around kids is because he's just so impatient. It takes a lot to put up with little kids. Also, he does seem to enjoy his solitude and quiet, which, as is common knowledge, little kids have no concept of. (It's the same thing with Tatsumi, actually.) It's a good thing I didn't write Yoshiro to be a screaming little brat, then.

Hehe, Terazuma and Wakaba are total bunny rabbits. They spent years not being able to even hold hands, so wouldn't you think they'd be total animals once Kuro said "Okay, you can touch now."? And of course Tatsumi and Kaneko have a kid. You get to meet her this chapter, as well as the Terazuma kids. I actually contemplated giving T/K twins, but I decided there are already five children in the picture, no need to add more. I've learned the hard way that if you have too many characters, it gets out of hand.

Hisoka-Kurosaki-138: (Basks in the lovely praise) Thank you!

Kaouri18: Glad you're enjoying this! I have an awful feeling that this one isn't going to be anywhere near as good as the last two, but I hope it's a fun ride nonetheless.

CrazyYnMLoverxD: (Glomps Newbie)

**Side Note #1:** Just to make sure this is clear: Meifu knows about Hisoka being abused by his parents. Konoe knew in volume 9 of the manga, so I'm assuming it's on record and anyone can see it. (Only a handful knows how he died, and only Tsuzuki knows that he was raped the first time; anyone who was in Hell knows about the second rape.)

**Side Note #2:** The Kasane-Rui-Nagare story has been reconstructed. In this version, Rui was Nagare's first and only wife, and Hisoka their first child. Kasane was Rui's fraternal twin, and she did allegedly drown in the lake. I say allegedly because…well, that's a spoiler.

**Off-Topic Rambling #1:** Yay, new songs for the YnM jukebox! I got Tori Amos' "Little Earthquakes" CD for Christmas.

Girl: And in the shadow she crawls/Clutching her faded photograph/My image under her thumb/Yes, with a message for my heart … She's been everybody else's girl/Maybe one day she'll be her own … And in the doorway they stay/And laugh as violins fill with water/Screams from the bluebells can't/Make them go away … And in the mist there she rides/And castles are burning in my heart … I'm calling my baby (NOTES: Obviously TsuLeen, from Eileen's POV.)

Precious Things: So I ran faster/But it caught me here/Yes, my loyalties turn like my ankle/In the seventh grade/Running after Billy/Running after the rain/These precious things/Let them bleed/Let them wash away/These precious things/Let them break their hold over me/He said "You're really an ugly girl/But I like the way you play"/And I died/But I thanked him/Can you believe that?/Sick, sick/Holding onto his picture/Dressing up every day (NOTES: A Tsubaki song, reflecting on Muraki and the Queen Camellia.)

Winter: I hear a voice/"You must learn to stand up/For yourself, 'cause I can't always be around"/He says/"When you gonna make up your mind?/When you gonna love you as much as I do?" … Years go by and I'm here still waiting … But I only can see myself/Skating around the truth, who I am (NOTES: Tsuzuki reflecting on his and Tatsumi's failed relationship.)

China: You're right next to me/But I need an airplane/I can feel the distance/As you breathe/Sometimes/I think you want me to touch you/How can I/When you build the Great Wall around you?/In your eyes/I saw a future together/But you just look away … I think that you can hear me/Funny how the distance/Learns to grow (NOTES: Tatsumi's version of "Winter".)

Me and a Gun: It was me/And a gun/And a man/On my back/And I sang/"Holy, holy"/As he buttoned/Down his pants/You can laugh/It's kinda funny/Things you think/At times like these/Like "I haven't seen Barbados/So I must get out of this" … Tell me what's right/Is it my right/To be on my stomach? (NOTES: A Hisoka song, obviously. I see him babbling insanely at his parents in the hospital with this song.)

**Off-Topic Rambling #2: **Okay, so I'm driving to work today (1/9/07), and on the radio comes this song "Everything You Want", and I remember that I read a YnM fanfic with that song in it. So I've got the show on my mind, and then the next song is "Ain't No Other Man" by Christina Aguilera. So I get a vision of Watari singing "Ain't No Other Man". That songfic seriously needs to be written.

**Off-Topic Rambling #3:** In four days, it'll be the one-year mark of this trilogy! I can barely believe it's been a year already. Happy birthday to this project! 

**Off-Topic Rambling #4:** Sorry for the delay. I finally got my own computer for Christmas, and then I type this chapter on it. So I go to post it and guess what? My ether card isn't working. I have to get a whole new one. I put off posting this, hoping I'd get it soon, but it's been almost a month and I don't want to leave you dangling anymore. Hell, I finished chapter four already! So this went back on my parent's computer. Well, hopefully I haven't lost my touch and you enjoy the chapter despite the long wait.

* * *

Informative

* * *

"If you stand in the road, buddy, you're gonna get run over."

Nagare snapped around. With his son and his husband protecting Yoshiro, there was no point in him trying to take him again, and in any case, he figured he had better find that invisible masked man to find out just what the hell he was supposed to do. Re-kidnapping his second son on a whim had been a rather uncharacteristic move. But Meifu streets were confusing, and the sun was beginning to set on his wandering.

"Daddy, Daddy, you're not a'_pposed_ to talked to strangers!" a small girl with long purple hair and small blue eyes chided who obviously must be her father.

"No, _you're_ not supposed to talk to strangers, Ayame," Terazuma said, taking his daughter's hand.

"My name is Kurosaki Nagare."

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" Terazuma sucked on his cigarette and then threw it away, evidently just remembering that Wakaba had forbidden him to smoke around Ayame and Daichi, and Ayame was a champion tattletale.

"Well, I'm not a stranger anymore," Nagare reasoned. "Though you two still are."

"Um, um, I'm Terazuma Ayame!" the little girl spoke up. "I'm four!" She held up four fingers for emphasis. "And I have a little brother! He's—!"

"Ayame, hush," Terazuma ordered. Ayame obediently fell silent. "I'm Terazuma Hajime," he said to Nagare.

"Daddy!" Ayame yelled suddenly, tugging at her father's hand. "He's a _Kurosaki_! Like-like-like Hisoka-_san_!"

"Yeah, I noticed," Terazuma said, frowning. "You look like the kid, too. You related?"

"I'm his father." The words left a bitter taste in his mouth, the same as if Hisoka had been there to answer the question with "I'm his son".

"Excuse me!" Ayame piped up, raising her hand. "You're a _bad man_!" she stated matter-of-factly, pointing at Nagare. "Yoshiro-_kun_ telled me so."

"Yeah, I know about you, too," Terazuma said, frown turning into a glare. "That was a real sh-tty thing to do."

"Terazuma Hajime, _what_ did I tell you about swearing front of Ayame? She's _impressionable_ at this age! Hi, nice to meet you."

Nagare blinked at the sudden appearance of a disheveled red-haired woman carrying a younger, male version of Ayame.

"What took you?" Terazuma asked, glancing at his wife.

"At the last possible moment, Kyoko decided it was a good time to try braiding Daichi's hair."

"That kid's a menace," Terazuma growled, thinking of the hyperactive Tatsumi girl.

"She's a four-year-old, Hajime, of course she's going to be a menace. Ayame is, too, when you're not around. Hi, sorry about this, sir. I'm Terazuma Wakaba. Again, nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand.

"Pleasure," Nagare answered, shaking her hand.

"Mommy, Mommy, he's Hisoka-_san_'s daddy!" Ayame yelled, pulling on her mother's skirt. "He's a _bad man_."

Wakaba's face changed and she deftly but abruptly pulled her hand away. Semi-consciously she tightened her hold on her son. "Is that true?"

"Unfortunately."

"Let me just say this, sir," Wakaba said, setting her mouth on a thin line. "There are plenty of things I'd like to say to you, but as I'm with two small children at the moment, I can't."

"I realize it's en vogue to hate me just now," Nagare said, somehow managing to be humorless and amused at the same time. "But you can get rid of me sooner if you point me in the direction of that Count…_thing_ so I can find out how to get the hell out of here."

"I'll thank you not to use foul language in front of my kids," Wakaba said coldly. "But then, you don't care about your own children, so why should you care about mine?"

"Wakaba, here, you take Ayame and Daichi home," Terazuma suggested, steering Ayame towards her mother. Wakaba took her daughter's hand and protectively held Ayame against her leg, stabbing Nagare to death with her eyes. "I guess I'll just take him to Juohcho and let them deal with it."

"You kick his butt if he gives you any trouble," Wakaba said righteously, kissing her husband. "Come on, you two." She power-walked away, her grip on her children strong.

"Your wife is quite…decisive."

"Yeah, and I'm in agreement with her, so don't give me any crap, okay?" Terazuma whipped out a cigarette and a lighter as soon as Wakaba was out of sight. "All right, so you're looking for a way to get your business done and pass on, right?" he asked, eyeing Nagare.

"That's correct," Nagare said, content in the knowledge that in all likelihood he and Terazuma were at least equally matched.

"You already met the Count? And he just cut you loose? Probably did it on purpose, the son of a b-tch. I don't understand that guy. All right, come with me."

* * *

"Now, Kyoko, what did I say about trying to braid Daichi's hair?"

"Daichi-_kun_ is s'cure in his masc'lin'y," Kyoko answered, pushing the bangs of her brown hair out of her amber eyes. "So's I shouldn' try to make him a girl."

"You know, Seiichirou, it's quite possible that Daichi might turn out like me," Kaneko said amusedly, picking up her four-year-old daughter and setting her on the counter next to an unlit Bunsen burner.

"We don't need to find out if a two-year-old is a transsexual," Tatsumi said flatly.

"Mommy, what's a transsex'al?" Kyoko asked.

"Well, Mommy's a transsexual."

"Daichi-_kun_'s not my mommy!" Kyoko said indignantly.

"Hey. Tatsumi. One of you."

The family of three all glanced at the door.

"Terazuma," Tatsumi said, clearing his throat.

"You know where the Count is? Watson said he isn't in the Hall of Candles."

"He said he was going to go inspect the Gates." Contrary to predictions of a slow reconstruction, within weeks of being destroyed Hell had rebuilt itself, though now it was merely the home of damned souls watched over by volunteer saints. The days of the monarchy were a distant, horrific memory.

"Sh-t. What am I gonna do with this guy, then? I don't have a place to put him."

"Don't swear in front of Kyoko. Who are you talking about?"

"Tatsumi family, let me introduce you to the one and only Kurosaki Nagare," Terazuma said, stepping out of the way to allow them full view.

"K-Kurosaki Nagare?" Tatsumi repeated.

"Yep," Terazuma said, putting out his cigarette on the doorjamb. "You didn't get the memo?"

"I heard that he died from Konoe, but I figured he would go to Hell immediately," Tatsumi said, composure resurfacing and bringing with it thinly veiled anger.

"Go to Hell, go to Hell!" Kyoko offered in sing-song.

"Kyoko, sweetie, let Daddy tell him that," Kaneko said, eyeing Nagare acidly.

"I have business to attend to here," Nagare snapped. "If the Count's not here, then get me your next high-up. Believe me, I've no burning desire to be in your company, either."

"Want me to get Konoe?" Terazuma asked, lighting up another cigarette.

"Don't smoke around my chemicals unless you want this place to go Chernobyl," Kaneko warned.

"Yes, go get Konoe, thank you," Tatsumi said, glaring eyes fixed on Nagare.

* * *

"Hello?" Hisoka said into the receiver. "Oh, Konoe…oh, you're _sh-tting_ me. Why the hell do we have to…? This'd better be good, if I have to see that man again. Once per decade is more than enough…all right, fine. But I'm sending that man to Hell if he starts screwing with us."

"Hisoka?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Get Yoshiro's shoes on. We'll let Kaneko look after him. We have to go to Juohcho."

* * *

"So, let's review what we know," Konoe said, rubbing his temples at the scene before him. The stale air, still reeking of the cigarette Terazuma had been smoking before he had departed, was heavy and full of electricity. Tsuzuki and Hisoka sat at on end of the room, seemingly prepared to spit poison at Nagare, who sat nonchalantly on the other side.

"You," Konoe continued, pointing at Nagare, "were murdered last night by your elder brother, Iwao."

"Yes."

"Earlier that night, there was an incident at Kokakuro. A demon who survived Hell appeared, split Kushinada's soul, and took her evil half with him."

"What are you talking about?" Nagare asked. "What does the queen of Hell have to do with this?"

"A few years ago we went to war with Hell and completely destroyed it," Konoe explained. "Kushinada's memory was erased and she was allowed to live in Chijou. A demon who survived the eradication found her last night and ripped her soul in half. The demon queen went with him, and the normal person is recovering topside."

"That's…mildly unbelievable," Nagare remarked blandly.

"What's _unbelievable _is that you still think you're king of the hill, here," Hisoka said darkly.

"Please settle this _after_ the meeting," Konoe said, silently cheering Hisoka. "Nagare-_san_, we think there's a correlation between your murder and the soul-splitting. Kushinada's entire family was killed in Hell, and she's most likely seeking an eye for an eye. That's why you were murdered. They apparently don't know of your family's…mutual disownment."

"Understatement of the century," Hisoka muttered.

"That unfortunately bodes ill for your wife," Konoe continued. "Rui, her name is?—will be in grave danger."

"That's not a problem," Nagare said.

"Oh, I know you couldn't give a sh-t about _me_," Hisoka growled, "but now _her_?"

"You never did know when to shut your mouth," Nagare said coolly.

"You son of a—"

"Keep this _civil_, please!" Konoe interrupted. "Nagare-_san_, why is this not a problem?"

"My wife is protected by the spirit of her dead sister, Kasane," Nagare said. "Since that sorceress drowned in the lake, absolutely no harm has been able to befall Rui."

"Are you certain about this?"

"Rui fell off the second story landing and came out completely unscathed."

"That can be attributed to any number of—"

"She fell through a window."

"Well—"

"And landed in a pool of water that had not been there before."

"I remember that," Hisoka cut in. "I was, like, three and a half. I was playing by the lake, and I saw the water turn green and start rippling."

"Kasane was skilled in magic using water. She put a protective spell around Rui before she died. Nothing except natural causes is going to kill my wife. Kushinada will find that out soon enough."

"In any case, we have to put all of Meifu on watch immediately," Konoe said. "Half of Meifu participated in the war, and now there are a bunch of children around. Once they realize Rui's no good—"

"They'll come here next," Tsuzuki filled in.

"Damn it, I thought we were _through_ with this sh-t!" Hisoka yelled, jumping to his feet.

"I'll call a meeting tomorrow," Konoe said. "They would've come here anyway; they won't rest until they've done the same to us that we did to them. We probably have until they attack Rui; they'll be wanting to get us all in the same place to get rid of us at one time."

"Hisoka, I'm going to go get Yoshiro," Tsuzuki said, sudden fear welling up in his stomach. "Tell me if they say anything else important."

"Hell, that's pretty much all we can say for right now," Konoe said even as Tsuzuki near sprinted out the door for his brother-in-law. "The only thing left we can do now is figure out what we're doing with you." He nodded at Nagare.

Hisoka stopped on his way out the door and glanced back in disgust. "I don't care what you do with him, as long as you keep him the hell away from my family." He exited, slamming the door behind him.

Konoe looked at Nagare, who shrugged offhandedly.

"Okay, Nagare," Konoe said slowly. "Now, you're planning on staying in Meifu, right?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Nagare shrugged again. "I want to get revenge on my murderer, of course."

"Huh. That's funny."

"Pardon?"

"That's the same exact reason your son stayed here."

"Really."

"'Course, that changed. Wonder if you'll end up the same way. Anyway. There's a place for you at the other end of town. I'll show you there in a few minutes. Oh, and you'll report back here tomorrow at ten AM."

"Excuse me?"

"All Shinigami are trained to use magic, regardless of whether they work for Juohcho or not. We need knowledgeable recruits in case someone passes on, you know. Plus, it looks like you're going to need whatever defense you can have. Demons aren't pushovers."

"Thanks for the concern."

"My concern is for your sons, my employees, and the children living here," Konoe said. "The more damage you do to the demons, the less damage we take. Nagare-_san_," he smiled, "don't suffer under the illusion that anyone gives a damn about you here."

"Are we done with the middle-school bantering?" Nagare asked uninterestedly.

"Quite."


	4. All In The Family

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yami no Matsuei 

**CrazyYnMLoverxD:** Welcome, Newbie!

**AnimeAngelRin:** Really? You like it that much? Well, thanks! I'm not used to characterizing someone as a b-stard, but if I'm pulling it off, well, it's all good. Nagare has plenty in store for him, as do the rest of the Kurosaki.

**Kiko812:** I used my Tarot cards. You see, I really wanted to do a plotline with Yoshiro, and had many vision snippets of what to do with him, but I didn't have a concrete plot. So I did an inspiration spread and tried putting action with principles (I use my cards very differently than most readers), and this was the result.

**Amethyst-eyed Koneko:** Konoe wins at life (or death. Or whatever). Maybe George can just burn Nagare in effigy (but make sure he's out of the house).

I had a feeling you'd find Kyoko's sing-song funny. I'm so glad I expanded on that scene (it was originally supposed to end when Terazuma introduced Nagare).

Now that you've pointed out how blasé Nagare is, it makes me feel better about having him go straight for Yoshiro first. My muses feel they are forgiven now. (Pets muses)

The quote comes from Far and Away (mid-90's movie about two Irish immigrants, with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, one of the best movies ever).

My sister-in-law and I are huge Toriphiles (as Tori Amos fans are known as). Why shouldn't we be? The woman's amazing. I saw her in concert, and she stood between an organ and a piano and played each with one hand. _Note-perfect._ If you go to youtube, there's a YnM video to her song "Cruel" (it's kinda MurTsu, but it's pretty good nonetheless). Okay, end babbling. I have an LJ that I've yet to post at, so maybe my first post will be the YnM jukebox. Believe me, I have plenty songs for it. About the Etheridge song…perhaps "she" could be understood metaphorically for all the lies and excuses Tsuzuki made up to keep him from hating himself? BTW, I've seen that song for a MurTsu fic somewhere on this site.

**laustic:** Thank you!

**FaerieRikki:** I do believe we have another newbie on our hands! (Glomps)

**Eternity's Heir:** Here's the next chapter!

**ureshiibaka: **Wow, um… (Blush. Grins like an idiot)

**Off-Topic Rambling:** I'd just like to wish the trilogy a happy birthday (two days late)! 1/17/06 began Second Death, and here we are a year later! Thank you, all my reviewers, who have made the past year such a great experience for me with your feedback and enthusiasm. This chapter is dedicated to all of you!

* * *

All In The Family

* * *

"There'll be a storm tonight."

"Happy about that, Kasane?"

Kasane smiled widely and turned toward her boyfriend. "What, you're not, Byakko? I thought you liked storms."

"I do, but," Byakko said reluctantly, kicking at the wall of air bubble the wind Shiki had conjured to allow himself to breathe within the lake, "it makes the lake thrash around a lot. Besides, I broke my legs in the war a couple years ago, remember? Storms make my bones hurt."

"You're supposed to be a tiger, you wimp," Kasane teased, sticking out her tongue. "_I_ can handle a little rain."

"Hey, if we had kids, they'd be ligers?" Byakko said, as if in a sudden flash of brilliance.

"Are you asking me something?" Kasane put forward coyly.

"What?"

"Never mind," Kasane said dismissively. "In case, I wouldn't want any kids of mine anywhere near this house."

"Yeah, your sister's not the greatest mom in the world, is she?" Byakko asked innocently.

Kasane stuck out her tongue, but in agreement. "I really screwed myself over when I agreed I wouldn't leave the lake unless Rui was in danger. I wanted to smack the sh-t out of her for what she did to my nephew."

"You'd think she wouldn't have been so down on Hisoka, seeing as what you two are."

"Oh, Heaven knows what she'll do if she ever acknowledges what exactly she is. Poor thing's head'll explode."

* * *

From somewhere within the house, Rui screamed.

From somewhere within the lake, Kasane broke her chains.

* * *

"What in hell…?"

Rui cowered in a corner, blood turning cold in her veins, as a transparent blue wall that smelled of freshwater blocked her from being impaled by a sword encrusted with an amethyst in the hilt.

"What's this?" Shizonai cried out, pulling Kushinada away from the barrier. "What the hell did you do?"

"Correction: _I _did this. At least give credit where credit is due."

"Who the hell are you?" Shizonai spat.

"Kasane!" Rui gasped, covering her mouth.

"Well, she just said it," Kasane said, gesturing to her sister. "Name's Kasane. And…"

The wall suddenly disintegrated into a tidal wave that crashed upon the proverbial shore of the floor, knocking Shizonai off his feet. He inhaled some water and choked.

"…that's _my_ sister you're screwing with, so I'm gonna kick your -ss, okay?"

"No," Rui said, shaking her head. "No, no no…"

"Byakko!" Kasane called to her companion. "Do me a favor, sweets? Take Rui out of here?"

"Will do!" Byakko called back cheerfully.

"Unh-unh-uh!" Kasane chastised, sending a harsh spray of water at Shizonai as he lurched forward, wielding Kushinada.

"Maybe I should transform, yeah," Byakko advised himself aloud, changing into his white tiger form as unthinkingly as batting an eye. "'Scuse me, madam," he growled upon reaching Rui.

The woman promptly fainted upon hearing his voice.

"Uh…okay, it's not like she's never seen a Shiki before," Byakko muttered to himself, slipping underneath Rui to carry her on his back.

"What did I just say?" Kasane screeched, a glistening blue sword in her hands and blocking Kushinada as Shizonai put his full weight into the blow. "You are not…touching…my sister!"

Kasane threw herself forwards, knocking Shizonai off-balance, and suddenly in the place of Rui's identical twin was a shimmering light turquoise lioness, fangs bared, fur raised.

"A freakin' Shiki, is it?" Shizonai muttered, wiping a splash of blood away from his mouth.

"It's a tad obvious, don't you think?" Kasane returned, claws extending. "How many normal humans can randomly turn into a lion and do _this_?"

And with her last word, her mouth opened and a white ball of light shot forward from her throat. Shizonai moved to dodge but it caught his arm and slammed him against the wall.

"What the…" Kasane muttered, as the water receded and Shizonai was nowhere to be seen.

A sharp pain sliced through her front right leg, and a scream mixed in with a pained roar escaped from her throat as she half-jumped, half-stumbled away, blood gushing from her ankle.

"Kasane!" Byakko yelled, catching sight of her as he escaped.

"I'm fine!" Kasane yelled, suddenly again in her human forms and clamping her hand against her wrist to stop up the bleeding. "Get Rui out of here!"

"Don't think so!" Shizonai yelled, and suddenly he was next to Byakko, Kushinada raised high above the tiger and his passenger.

With twin yells Kasane and Byakko let out simultaneous attacks; the air and water combined upon impact and sculpted itself into a water tornado; sucking Shizonai into it and throwing him against the ceiling.

"Byakko, go!" Kasane shouted, shooting another stream of water at Shizonai through her hand even as blood from her wrist stained the palm she was using to support it. "Now!" she screamed, throwing more energy into her attack.

Byakko took off, his cargo flopping softly against his back.

"Next time, do a background check so you don't get your -ss handed to you!" Kasane screamed at Shizonai, wrenching her hand away and sprinting away in the path Byakko had treaded.

"Come on, come on, into the lake!" she yelled at Byakko. "_Before_ they figure it out, please!"

"No need to yell at me, Kasane!" Byakko shouted back over the raging wind and rain, pouting. His feet planted into the ground and a translucent white bubble circled its way over him and Rui. With one final leap he sunk into the lake; a splash told him that Kasane had followed him.

"Kasane, where are we going?"

"Don't know about you, love," Kasane called back, and the rest of her reply was interrupted as they passed through a rain cloud. There was a sensation of falling through the air, and then Byakko was underneath her and she was arranging her sister so she was not sitting on her.

"But I think I should take Rui to Meifu," she concluded, ripping off her sleeve to tie a bandage around her bleeding wrist, and ripping off her other one to mop the blood off of her sister.

* * *

"Well, well, Bouya. It's been a long time."

"You don't normally talk to me in these dreams," Hisoka said, eyeing Muraki.

"And you're not normally aware these _are_ dreams. Just proves that all things change," Muraki said, shrugging offhandedly and lighting up a cigarette.

"When did you become a Buddhist?"

"It's just common sense, Bouya. After all, I changed plenty in my lifetime—and now I don't exist at all apart from your memory." He took a drag. "But one has to wonder why I still exist even there; why I have such a firm grip on your psyche."

"Um, maybe because you _raped_ me," Hisoka spat incredulously. "_Twice_."

"Well, that's certainly a factor," Muraki said, blowing out a stream of smoke, "but that's not the core issue, Poppet."

"Don't call me that."

"But you're just that." Muraki chuckled in his throat and took another drag. "Remember the last three years of your life? You weren't aware of me, but every once in a while I would visit you. It was _deathly_ funny, watching you for that first year. My adorable little Bouya, clinging to the dead hope that your parents would actually feel some kind of compassion for you."

"Shut up."

"I think you hate me even more than you would have under normal circumstances because I _proved_ to you that you are as much their poppet as you are mine."

"I am _no one's_ poppet."

"Bouya, all one needs to do to make someone a poppet is to assign them a status lower than their own and then act on it," Muraki said, taking a drag on his cigarette. "You see, Poppet, to me, you were nothing but a blow-up doll that I had fun deflating when I was done with it. And to your parents, you are shit on their collective shoe. Moreover, Poppet, you look at your parents like bugs to be squished. That makes you as much a poppet master as I am. How's it feel? Invigorating, isn't it?"

"You're full of sh-t."

"Be that as it may, I make a valid point," Muraki continued. "And that is why I'm still here, Bouya. You've allowed me to conquer you. You might be able to shag Tsuzuki without having a seizure now, but I'm here nonetheless. Because you keep me here."

* * *

"Hisoka-_niisan_?"

* * *

"At this rate, Yoshiro is never going to sleep ever again."

"He's sleeping right now," Tsuzuki corrected, pointing towards his brother-in-law.

"You know what I mean, Tsuzuki," Hisoka said. Yoshiro was sitting in his lap, using his stomach like a pillow, lightly dozing after the cognitive nightmare that had sent him running into his brothers' bed. "This is the second time in a row he's woken up in the middle of the night."

"I know," Tsuzuki said, running his hand over Yoshiro's black hair. "So this time we have two women, a tiger, a demon, and a sword."

"The demon and the sword are obviously Kushinada and whoever split her soul," Hisoka said. "The tiger…Byakko? He's the only thing I can think of."

"What would he have to do with this?"

"Oh, hell, I don't know, but he's the only thing we've got," Hisoka said. "What about the two women? It's kinda obvious that one of them is my mother, but the other…"

"Kushinada?"

"No, she's the sword, remember?"

Yoshiro stirred in Hisoka's lap and both of his brothers tensed, preparing for him to cry out again, but he merely resettled himself.

"It scares the crap out of me to think what my father would have done with Yoshiro had he been able to take him," Hisoka said, brushing Yoshiro's bangs out of his face.

"Yeah, me too."

"You remember when we first found out my mother was pregnant? I didn't know if I could love my brother. I remember specifically asking myself if I would kill him out of jealousy. You told me I had too much self-control to do that. Too much…" His hand went to his mouth. "And now I'm as terrified of losing him as I am of losing you. I can't believe I ever thought that about him…"

"That changed, though, remember? When you brought him home, you wanted to _save_ him from your parents."

"Looks like that backfired on me," Hisoka said with a bitter laugh.

"Hey, we still have him, don't we?" Tsuzuki replied. "And no one else is ever going to have him. Until he gets older, and then Kyoko or Ayame, or hell, Hiko or Daichi might snatch him up."

"Let's not play matchmaker with our five-year-old, okay?" Hisoka said, relaxing against the wall he was using to support himself.

"You're already playing the mother-in-law…okay, I'll stop," Tsuzuki said, seeing Hisoka's eyebrow cock dangerously.

"…I had a weird dream, too," Hisoka said after a long pause.

"You haven't had one of those in…hell, practically not since you brought Yoshiro home."

"It wasn't _that_ dream, exactly," Hisoka said. "Muraki and I were holding a conversation."

"That's not something I expect to hear from you."

"He was once again trying to convince me that I'm like him, and this time he was using how I feel about my parents."

"What, did he say that you want to rape and murder your parents?"

"No…he said that because I despise them so much, I've dehumanized them…just like he did with me."

"No, that's not the same," Tsuzuki said. "You have a reason to hate them. He had no reason to hate you."

"Mm." Hisoka looked down, running his fingers through Yoshiro's hair.

"What's wrong?"

"You remember how you said to Yoshiro, the first day he was here, that we loved him already? You said that because he's family, right?"

"I guess."

Hisoka hesitated. "That's…exactly. Family should have unconditional love for each other. That's hardwired."

"Yeah."

"So why the hell…why did my family not seem to get the memo? Including me?"

"Hey, hey, hey. No self-hate. That's _my_ department." Tsuzuki smiled, leaning forward on his hands. "I'm about to have one of my very rare insightful moments, so no interruptions. You _had_ the memo, and _they_ ripped it up into little pieces. But you obviously remembered what it said, because we have this one." He gently ruffled Yoshiro's hair. "And besides, I think love _is_ conditional. You love _people_, not…"concepts", is that the word I'm looking for?"

"Sounds right."

"So stop worrying," Tsuzuki said, taking Hisoka's face between his hands and kissing his husband's forehead. "You are _nothing_ like that bastard. I wouldn't be here if you were."

Hisoka let a half-smile trip from his lips. "Thanks."

"That's what I'm here for," Tsuzuki said, and smiled. "Okay. Let's put this one back to bed. Let him think he can teleport in his sleep. He'll think that's cool, right?"

"You're such a loser," Hisoka said, allowing a laugh in his voice as he cradled Yoshiro and slid his feet onto the floor, exiting his room and entering Yoshiro's to deposit the little boy into his own bed.

"I _swear_, you are so much like him that you could be _his_ brother," Hisoka muttered, seeing the deadweight of Yoshiro flop gracelessly on the bed even as he tried to arrange Yoshiro neatly.

"Thanks," Tsuzuki called from the other room.

Hisoka rolled his eyes and managed to get his brother underneath the blanket. He paused, staring at Yoshiro's face. It really was like looking at himself with black hair.

"You're never going to feel that way about me," he said quietly, wondering if Yoshiro could hear him. "Okay? Never."

He bent down to kiss his brother's forehead, and then left the room for his own.

"I mean, 'cause yeah," Tsuzuki said, looking up at Hisoka as he re-entered their bedroom. "You wouldn't like it much if I loved you just because, right? It wouldn't really _mean_ anything."

"But that's—…"

"What?"

"…Nothing," Hisoka said, sitting down on the bed. "It doesn't matter," he added, sliding underneath the bedclothes. Tsuzuki joined him.

"And why _do_ you love me, anyway?" Hisoka asked, turning over to look into Tsuzuki's face.

"Because you are _you_," Tsuzuki answered, his hand traveling from Hisoka's face to his waist and pulling the blond closer to him. "And _you_ are perfect for me," he added, planting a kiss on Hisoka's cheek.

"You're a total suck-up," Hisoka accused teasingly, burying his fingers in Tsuzuki's hair.

"Doesn't matter, does it?" Tsuzuki asked, smiling as he slid his arms underneath Hisoka.

"Guess not, because I'd say the same thing," Hisoka replied quietly.


	5. Birthright

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yami no Matsuei

**Shout-outs:**

CrazyYnMLoverxD: You're welcome!

Kiko812: Glad you liked the TsuSoka! I have to re-find the spread I used; I erased it. (Sweatdrop)

FaerieRikki: (Munches on cake) No, he's not making a comeback.

Kaouri18: Thank you!

Amethyst-eyed Koneko: Kasane/Byakko came out of two things: I wanted Kasane to be talking to somebody when I introduced her, and someone wanted Byakko in the story. And you know what else? They're really fun. I like them together.

I had a time of it trying to get Kasane into a form that fit her. A lion was my first idea, but then I thought maybe a water animal would be best, but the only thing I could think of is a crab (because it could stay on land), but that's not very impressive, and by that time I had the image of her as a lion was so ingrained in my mind (and written into the story) that I said "The hell with it" and kept her as a lion. (I've been trying to figure things out genetically, so I was using punitz squares to decide her biological make-up, but it got way too complicated and I threw that out the window, too.)

Actually, Hisoka's power came about because of his possession by Akuko. As for Yoshiro, though…read on.

I _think_ that song is used in a MurTsu fic…I haven't read it.

Muraki is dead. I'm not bringing him back. It's like the dream said: he only exists in memories now. On the word "Poppet": it's the best word for him to use, aside from Bouya, especially considering that poppets were once thought to be used as a type of voodoo by those aligned with the devil.

(Rolls up sleeves) I didn't make up the idea of dying in the land of dead being a double negative; that was used in a very old fic and I thought it was a cool idea. About what TsuSoka will do when Yoshiro eventually dies, I was going to have them affirm this towards the end, but it's not a big deal so I'll tell you now: they're going to pass on when he does, as long as there's nothing keeping them there. As for what Yoshiro will do when he gets older, he'll do what Kazusa did—go to school in Meifu and eventually move there (and regarding his romantic prospects, I have a tiny fondness for Yoshiro/Ayame). And as for Enma, I don't know enough about him to attempt even incorporating him. Besides, I haven't written him thus far as a fickle, spiteful being (remember how last story he was up in Heaven fighting Metatron's forces), and in any case there's no real room for that in this story. So we'll just say he's not a problem (and my impression of him is he sure doesn't seem to give a damn what his employees get up to until they destroy a building).

laustic: Thank you.

AnimeAngelRin: I love flangst. And of course this story is weird; the one before it was, too.

Eternity's Heir: Thank you for complimenting my characterization. It's my favorite part of writing and it makes me immeasurably happy that someone likes it.

**Side Note:** "Sister, sister, shame of ladies, sister," comes from _King Lear_ (though "sister" is plural in the play), where Cordelia bemoans her sisters' maltreatment of their father. Kasane uses it in its opposite context—a parent mistreating a child.

**Off-Topic Rambling:** My kitty died today (1/21/07). He was fifteen years old. Last month he ran away from home, and he just returned yesterday morning. He'd lost six pounds and had a neurological problem that prevented him from using his hind legs. He spent the night sleeping under my bed—his favorite place to be—and this morning we took him to the vet for emergency IV fluids. He went numb and became completely unaware of anything, including his pain, and he died in the afternoon. So I dedicate chapter 5 of Filial Piety in loving memory of Sebastian, my "Bashy", and pray that he's in Heaven getting brushed by angels (he loved being brushed).

I wonder if Shinigami pick up animals…?

* * *

Birthright

* * *

"Wakey-wakey, sleepyhead!" Kasane prodded her younger sister's face with her finger. "Up and at 'em! Jeez, you're lazy. Is that was being a spoiled rich wife does to you? Good thing I turned him down, then. Hey!" She gave Rui an especially sharp poke. "We gotta get to Meifu and tell them what happened! Don't you want your son…wait…well, I want my nephew to be forewarned!"

"Kasane?"

"Yeah?" She turned her head back.

"How's your wrist?" Byakko asked.

Kasane held up her arm and glanced at it. "It's fine. We got to the artery in time."

"Yay," Byakko said, clapping his hand together rapidly. "Are you ready to go?"

"We will be as soon as Miss Lazy Butt over here wakes up. She was always weak, but not _this_ weak." She sighed in mock despair. "You're so spoiled, Rui!" she scolded her sister. "Get off your butt and let's go!"

"Kasane, she's unconscious."

"Shut up! She's playing dead and I know it! Sisters can tell these things!"

* * *

"Hey."

"Yeah?" Hisoka glanced up and backwards from his desk.

"We got visitors," Konoe said, stepping aside.

"Kira." Hisoka stood up. "And…Kushinada."

Kushinada gave a sheepish smile and wave. "Hi."

"What's happened?" Hisoka asked.

"Nothing on our end," Kira said. "I just figured you could use our help."

"How's that?"

"Hisoka, who are you…oh." Tsuzuki had popped over the cubicle wall out of curiosity and stopped short at the sight of his ancestor.

"Hi," Kushinada said, in much the same manner as she had addressed Hisoka.

"Well, you're forgetting that I'm still Amaterasu's personal servant," Kira said, gesturing to her belt. "Plus, Kushinada shares some useful things with her evil genius. Like powers."

"I need you to go get…hell, everyone, and bring them to the conference room," Konoe said. "We've got a lot of explaining to do."

* * *

"Wakaba, what are you doing?"

"I'm feeling a weird twinge," Wakaba said. She, on her way to the conference room with Terazuma, had stopped suddenly, staring behind her with a slightly confused look on her face.

"What's that mean?"

"It feels like…when Kotaro and Kojiro rip open a portal to Meifu, I can feel it."

"You think they're…?"

"Tell them I'll be a few minutes, okay?" she said, walking off without another word.

"That wife of mine…"

* * *

Yoshiro clung to Tsubaki's neck, switching back and forth from hiding his face in her collarbone to looking back at his father sitting across the room, arms and legs crossed, glaring in his general vicinity. With each movement Tsubaki hoped that Konoe had something worth this to tell her. Whatever is was, she was to be his conduit to Maria and Eileen for it. Each turn of Yoshiro's head was only adding to her anxiety.

"Is there something on my face?" Nagare finally asked, calling across the room to Yoshiro.

Yoshiro mumbled something and hid his face in his hands.

"What? What did you say?"

"Don't scold him," Tsubaki said, strengthening her grip on her charge.

"I'm not. I'm simply curious as to what he said was on my face."

Yoshiro peeked out from between his hands. "Your nose," he said, and then covered his face again.

Had she been in the right frame of mind, Tsubaki would have laughed at the interesting expression that graced Nagare's countenance.

"Hey, um, Papa-_san_?" Yoshiro said, working up enough nerve to address his father directly.

"Yes?"

"Why're you such a bad man?"

"Yoshiro, shh," Tsubaki ordered gently.

"No, don't silence him," Nagare said, straightening up. "What do you mean, boy?"

"I mean, I mean, Hisoka-_niisan_ tol' me you called him a monster and lockeded him in a room and letted _awful_ things happen to him," Yoshiro said in a rush, apparently having memorized every inch of the answer Hisoka had given him a year ago to his question of why Ayame, Daichi, Kyoko, and Hiko all had parents and he didn't.

Nagare leaned back in his seat. "I suppose your brother didn't tell you that he was dangerous for the well-being of the entire village at the time?"

"'_Niisan_ isn't _dangerous_!" Yoshiro announced, his little face set hard in indignation. "He's only scary when he's _mad_, like when I colored on the walls or Tsuzu-_nii_ gived me ice cream for lunch or..."

"Tsubaki, what's going on here?"

"Konoe-_kachou_ called and said he had something to tell us that he wants me to relay to Maria and Eileen," Tsubaki replied, turning her gaze away from Nagare to his eldest son. "Here." She transferred Yoshiro into Hisoka's arms. "Your brother's been attempting to tell off your father."

"Really. How so?"

"I just askeded why he's a bad man," Yoshiro explained.

"Believe me, Yoshiro, that's something I'd like to know, too," Hisoka muttered.

* * *

"W-what?"

"Hi, Wakaba!" Byakko said brightly, waving at the Gatekeeper.

"Byakko, what on earth…"

"I'd like to introduce you to Kasane, my lady love, and her sister, Rui," Byakko said proudly, gesturing towards the two women.

"Hi," Kasane said, extending her hand. "I'm Hisoka's aunt."

"You're…you're _what_?"

"Hisoka's mother's sister," Kasane elaborated. "And this is Rui, his mother."

A low growling sound emitted from Rui's throat.

"Shut up, you're his mom and you know it!" Kasane snapped at Rui, before turning a benign smile on Wakaba. "Could you please do us a big, big favor and bring us to him, Wakaba-_san_?"

"You-you're Hisoka's aunt?"

"Yep."

"And…you're a Shiki?"

"The boy has one messed up family tree," Kasane conceded. "And because of that I have some really important things to tell him. Help us, please?"

"Um…okay," Wakaba said, for once in her life unsure of what else to say. Without looking, her hand traveled across the desk until it reached an intercom button. Almost unable to tear her eyes away from the two women and Byakko, she finally managed to look away to put her face near the microphone.

"Hey, Hisoka? Could you come to the Suzaku Gate room? Bring Tsuzuki and your fa—…and Nagare, too."

"Nagare?" Wakaba nearly jumped as the sullen Rui suddenly animated. "Nagare is here?"

"Oh sure, _that_ got your attention," Kasane grumbled teasingly.

"Wakaba, what's going on?" Konoe replied from the conference room.

"Just send them down," Wakaba said. "It's important. _Extremely_ important."

* * *

Rui sincerely felt like her heart was about to escape from her chest and make a mad dash across the room when the doorknob turned and someone stepped in.

Much to her disappointment, it was Hisoka who darkened the doorstep first.

"Mother," Hisoka half-gasped, flabbergasted.

"Boy," she replied darkly.

"Oh, _that's_ a fine way to talk to your child," Kasane muttered.

"You…" Hisoka's almost destroyed focus turned on Kasane. Some little laborer in his mind worked double-time to dredge up the image of a woman who had died almost before he had memories. "_'Baasan_."

"You remember!" Kasane said gleefully, clasping her hands together.

"Byakko, what…?" Tsuzuki had entered, bearing Yoshiro.

"Who's that?" Rui suddenly asked, pointing towards Yoshiro. The boy's fingers frightfully sunk further into his brother-in-law's shirt. "Who?"

"Rui?"

"Nagare!" Rui gasped. The last memory she had of him was off him crumpled in a heap on the floor, bleeding from his intestines. She almost chided her mind for playing hallucinations on her before she realized that she had crossed to her husband and her fingers could touch the illusion.

"Rui…"

Strength failed her and she collapsed against him, almost pulling him down to the ground as her knees buckled.

"Oh, stop being such a wilting flower," Rui muttered.

"What's going on here?" Hisoka demanded.

"I have no idea," Wakaba said, throwing up her hands. "Kotaro and Kojiro left before I got here. It was just Byakko with these two."

"I'll take it over from here," Kasane said, slightly raising her hand. "Okay. I'm Kasane. I'm Rui's twin sister, which makes me Hisoka's aunt. We are also Shikigami."

"I am _not_ a Shikigami, Kasane!" Rui snarled, still leaning on Nagare for support.

"Shut up!" Kasane snapped. "You are and you know it, the same way you're his mother!" She pointed at Hisoka. "Jeez, you're so _spoiled_, Rui!"

"Kasane-_san_?" Tsuzuki offered, befuddled personified. "What?"

Kasane turned her face away from her sister in disgust. "Ignore that one. She's been a brat since birth."

"'_Baasan_, tell me what's going on here!" Hisoka yelled.

"You're supposed to be dead," Nagare added.

"Wrong-o," Kasane said. "I'm very much alive."

"But you _drowned_," Hisoka insisted.

"No," Kasane said simply. "I escaped."

"What?"

"That lake on the Kurosaki property is actually a portal," Kasane said. "A portal to Gensoukai. Kind of a steady wormhole. That's where our—mine and Rui's—parents came to Chijou from, to escape the wars. Rui and I were born and raised in Chijou, supposedly as human beings. I got tired of that right quick, but _that one_ there never got over the fact that she wasn't "normal"."

"I am _perfectly_ normal, Kasane," Rui hissed, finding strength in her contempt.

"Yes, a perfectly normal _Shiki_," Kasane shot back, and then returned to her nephew. "I stuck around long enough to spend some time with you, but I had to leave before you got old enough to mourn my passing. So I faked my drowning when you were almost three years old, and straight back to Gensoukai I went."

Hisoka stared mutely at his aunt, and then pulled out the desk chair and sat down, hard, on it.

"When I got to Kansei, _Seiryuu_, that fart, told me I couldn't return to Meifu. Said the portal made Gensoukai "unstable". I made a deal—a magical pact—that I could enter the portal and watch what was going on, but I couldn't go back into Meifu unless Rui was in _direct_ danger—as in, being personally targeted. If I'd known what was going to happen to you, Hisoka, I would've made the deal differently."

"What of that spell you put around her?" Nagare demanded.

"Spell?" Kasane repeated, confused. "What spell? Oh, you mean like when she fell out of the window? That was all her, Nagare, acting on her Shiki instincts. We're both Water Shiki."

"Is there a reason why I haven't seen you in the past ten years?" Hisoka asked suddenly.

"Well, first off, I didn't know you were in Meifu for several years; I thought you'd pass on," Kasane said. "I might've recognized you when you came to Kansei during the last war, but at that time I was lying in the hospital with a hairline fracture on my skull."

"Yes, I remember," Tsuzuki spoke up suddenly. "When I…when I visited Byakko and Kijin there were a lot of other injured and…I remember seeing you, but I didn't know who you were."

"Yep," Kasane said, nodding. "That's actually where I met Byakko. And it took him _forever_ to mention that you were in Meifu, Hisoka. Forgetful little bugger, he is."

"Hey!" Byakko pouted.

"I'm sorry, darling, but you are," Kasane said flatly. "And after that, well, how would that reunion go? "Hi, I'm your aunt. I'm supposed to be dead. I watched everything you went through in your life and couldn't do anything about it"."

"Why are you here now, then?" Tsuzuki asked, having traversed to Hisoka to put a steadying hand on him.

"I've been watching the house for the past couple days," Kasane said. "I saw how Nagare was murdered."

"You were murdered?" Wakaba directed towards Nagare.

"You missed the meeting," Hisoka said. "The other day, a demon who survived the war found Kushinada and split her soul into a demon queen and a normal person. He took Kushinada-_youkai_ to Kamakura and killed my father."

"I thought it was Iwao who killed Nagare," Kasane said.

"Iwao was possessed."

"Oh…then last night the two of them attacked Kamakura, again I guess, this time for Rui," Kasane continued. "Since this was a direct attack, the portal opened, and me and Byakko crossed into Meifu. We rescued her and brought her back to Gensoukai, and now we're here to tell you what happened."

"Kushinada-_ningen_ and Kira are both here," Hisoka said to Wakaba. "They were at the meeting you missed. Konoe was telling everyone that those demons and Kushinada-_youkai_ are most likely going to attack here next."

Wakaba covered her mouth with both hands in shock, and then without another word sprinted out of the room, to Terazuma and then to her children, leaving a silent group behind her.

"Hisoka-_niisan_?" Yoshiro said, finally breaking the stillness.

"What was that?" Rui piped up, eyeing Yoshiro suspiciously. "Who _is_ that?"

"_That_ is our second son," Nagare informed his wife.

"Dead? No…the dead don't grow." Rui started forward, her hand reaching out for her lost baby.

"Stay away from him!"

Hisoka shot up from his chair and Tsuzuki took a hasty step back.

"You _stole_ him from us!" Rui hissed accusingly.

"I _rescued_ him!" Hisoka retorted. "You _abused_ me. Did you think I had any reason to believe you wouldn't do the same to _him_? He's a "freak", too. He has parapsychological abilities, just like me. Did you seriously expect me to just sit back and let you lock another kid in a basement?"

"He is most likely no threat to the safety of an entire village," Nagare said calmly.

"You _purposely_ gave me this name," Hisoka spat, remembering the story Satsuki had told him six years ago on her deathbed. "You _knew_ it would draw Akuko to me. I was your sacrificial lamb, so don't you _dare_ talk to me about being a danger to _anybody_!"

"Akuko?" Kasane piped up. "That half-Shiki our parents told us about?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rui said icily to her sister.

"Oh, would you come off it already?" Kasane snapped. "Rui, get it through your head. _You are a Shikigami_. _Your children are half-Shiki_."

There was a moment of silence. The full weight of that statement seemed to finally hit Hisoka. He turned to his aunt.

"I have no Shiki power," he said, slowly, controlling his voice. "Why is that?"

"You were possessed by Akuko, right?" Hisoka nodded. "My guess is the possession overwhelmed your abilities and killed them off."

"What about Yoshiro…him?" He pointed towards his brother.

"You said he has abilities? Well, given what Kamakura is like, he might also be possessed, or they might be his Shiki powers." Kasane walked past Hisoka and towards Yoshiro, whom Tsuzuki instinctively held tighter.

"Hi, you're Yoshiro-_kun_, right?" she asked, leaning over to be face-to-face with her younger nephew. Yoshiro nodded mutely. "I'm your auntie, Kasane, sweetie."

"Kasane-_baachan_," Yoshiro affirmed.

"Hey, could you do me a favor, Yoshiro-_kun_? Could you think of water? Really, _really_ concentrate on it? You might want to be careful," she said to Tsuzuki. "I don't know what he's going to turn into."

Yoshiro sucked his lips into his mouth and squinted his eyes shut, thinking of a glittering ocean, the Sea of Japan, waves chasing after his feet as he ran, giggling, from them. Almost instantly his body morphed, and Tsuzuki fumbled about to catch what was now a small, transparent blue, bird sitting in the palms of his hands.

"He's so cute!" Byakko and Kasane exclaimed in one voice, the only jubilant ones among several shocked.

"I'm a _birdling_!" Yoshiro crowed happily, flapping his wings excitedly. "'_Niisan_, look, I'm a birdling!"

"That's "hatchling", Yoshiro," Hisoka finally said, almost stammering.

"He's a bird, just like you, Rui!" Kasane said, momentarily forgetting that her sister had renounced her Shikigami heritage. She was immediately reminded by the poisonous look on Rui's face. She turned away abruptly.

"Now, can you think of what you look like as a boy and not a bird?" she asked Yoshiro.

Almost instantaneously Tsuzuki's arms were full of a young boy again.

"I can be a _bird_!" Yoshiro exclaimed. "'_Niisan_, a bird!"

"I know," Hisoka said, trying to swallow his jumbled-up emotions. "I saw."

"Papa-_san_, Mama-_san_, I—" He turned his excited face on his long-lost parents.

"You are not my son," Rui said through clenched teeth.

"And that is _exactly_ why I took him from you," Hisoka said. Seeing the shocked, troubled look on Yoshiro's face felt as if someone was ripping his heart out with a knife. "I didn't want _him_ to hear those words from you, either."

Kasane took two decisive steps forward and slapped Rui, hard, unhesitant, across the face. Without wavering Nagare did likewise to his sister-in-law.

"You don't hit my wife," he said simply.

"You don't hit my girlfriend," Byakko snarled, suddenly emulating the tiger he transformed into.

"Tsuzu-_nii_," Yoshiro whimpered, tugging at Tsuzuki's shirt.

"Byakko, stand down," Tsuzuki ordered, and Byakko backed off, taking Kasane's hand as he did, glare still fixed on Nagare.

Rui held her cheek, simultaneously sullen and surprised that Kasane had actually struck her.

""Sister, sister, shame of ladies, sister"," Kasane paraphrased, turning away in disgust.

"Are we intruding on something?"

The entire congregation turned towards the door. Kira stood at the door, her hand poised to rap upon it. Kushinada flanked her, looking for all the world as if she were being led away to be punished for some grave offense.

"An instance with a high likelihood of domestic violence," Kasane grumbled. "Who are you?"

"Tsukiori Kira, exorcist of demons," Kira introduced herself proudly.

"I'm…Kushinada," the former demon queen said, less self-assuredly.

"I'm sorry, you're _who_?" Nagare said disbelievingly.

"_You're_ the scary laughing lady from my dream!" Yoshiro yelped, pointing a shaking finger at her. Tears started in his large green eyes as he remembered her giggling madly as entrails and blood poured out of Nagare's body.

"I…" Kushinada began, stepping forward.

"_No_!" Yoshiro shrieked, now crying freely. "'_Niisan_, she hurted my papa!" he wailed, turning his face toward Hisoka.

There was a long pause as everyone in the room stared at the sobbing little boy. Kushinada looked away, squinting her eyes shut against hot tears of shame. Slowly, Hisoka went forward and took his brother from Tsuzuki.

"This is getting to be too much for him to handle," Hisoka said clearly enough for the entire room to hear, though he kept his eyes steadily on Tsuzuki. "And frankly, I really can't deal with this right now. I'm outta here."

"Okay," Tsuzuki said quietly, gently squeezing the tip of Yoshiro's ear affectionately and quickly kissing his husband. Taking a quick glance across the room, Hisoka exited, shielding Yoshiro's eyes as much as possible from Kushinada and their parents.

"So _you're_ the queen of Hell? I don't believe it." Byakko asserted.

"Tact, sweetie, tact," Kasane said, patting Byakko's hand.

"What the hell's going on here?" Rui demanded.

"I can explain," Kushinada offered. "Six years ago Meifu went to war with Hell. Out of the monarchy, all except I died, and only a handful of demons escaped the slaughter. My memories were erased and I was allowed to live as normal woman in Chijou. Two days ago, I was approached by a survivor and regained my memories. When I…refused to join him, he split my soul and put my demon queen persona into a new body. Luckily, I retain the power given to me by my…late husband, though she has them, as well."

Throughout the speech she doggedly avoided meeting Tsuzuki's gaze, as perfectly as if she had rehearsed it multiple times beforehand.

"Why are we involved in this?"

"My…evil half is unaware that you and your sons are not on speaking terms. She wants revenge for her family, and she thinks the best way to go about it is…to kill off the family of those responsible." The irony that one of "those responsible" was related to Kushinada herself was not lost on her.

"We screwed up, Nagare," Rui said to her husband bitterly. "Even after we pulled the plug the boy's still a danger to us."

"Oh, I swear to _God_ if you weren't my sister I would shove your head _so_ far up your ass!" Kasane yelled, starting forward as if to make good on her threat.

"You weren't kidding about the domestic violence," Kira said, seeing several livid people in the room. "Might I suggest we all get the hell away from each other for right now?"

"I think that's an excellent idea," Kasane said in a low voice.

* * *

The chapter has been split into two parts. Sorry, but seven web pages is long enough and I wanna get this up before I run out of steam.

Oh, and before I forget…please go to my profile page and look me up on my LJ. The first installment of the Yami no Matsuei Jukebox has been uploaded!


	6. Bonds Unbreakable

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yami no Matsuei

**Shout-outs:**

Kiko812: There's nothing wrong wishing for quick updates! Hope this one was quick enough for you!

Kaouri18: I don't even remember how I dreamed up Rui and Kasane as Shiki. Originally, Kasane was supposed to have still been Nagare's drowned first wife, who was awoken in the lake by his murder. Everything got changed around when I made it so Kushinada's soul was split in the beginning of the story instead of later on. I guess Kasane's plotline got shuffled and eventually just kinda morphed into that.

I think it's interesting that Nagare is the calm and collected asshole, while Rui is the crazy raving bitch. Given his family and his young life, Hisoka should be a flippin' psychopath, not just slightly unhinged.

laustic: Glad you think the idea is cool! And I'm sorry about your cat, too. (Hugs)

AnimeAngelRin: Kasane kicks ass. I love her much. What disturbs you about Hisoka being half-Shiki? I think that'd make an excellent plot in the actual manga.

Amethyst-eyed Koneko: Punitz squares are what you do to get a rough sketch of the future generation. Example: I was trying to come up with what Kyoko looks like. Her dad has brown hair ("B", a dominant gene), and her mom has blonde hair ("b", a recessive gene). For easiness' sake, let's say both Tatsumi's parents had brown hair, making him BB, and both Kaneko's had blonde hair, making her bb. I can't show you the actual sqaure, but I can tell you that BB dominates over bb in all cases. So if Kyoko had been born with blonde hair, there are only two alternatives: One of Tatsumi's parents had blonde hair, making him Bb and giving Kyoko a fifty percent chance of having blonde hair, or Kaneko was cheating on Tatsumi with a blond man. And I know there are some Watari/Hisoka fans out there, but I'm not one of them.

In the case of Ayame and Daichi, their mother has red hair ("r") and their dad has blue hair ("b"). Since both those genes are recessive, we go into something called—I think—co-dominance, where the colors combine. That's why the Terazuma-lings have purple hair.

Moving on…don't beat yourself up for asking questions. They make authors think. I enjoy being showered with praise, but I don't want simple yes-men.

I remembered that you mentioned your own kitty died awhile ago. (Hugs)

I figured you would love it when Kasane hit Rui. Sisterly catfights are always fun. Byakko vs Nagare is something I want to see, but probably won't write. And there are no words to describe how flipping adorable Yoshiro is. I wanted to smack Rui when she denounced her son, and I'm the one who wrote her saying that!

To be honest, I didn't really give much thought as to what Hisoka's Shiki form would be. My train of thought roughly went like this: "Okay, so Kasane and Rui are Shiki. That makes Yoshiro and Hisoka half-Shiki. Oh crap…Hisoka would have figured that out by now. Um…WAIT! He was possessed! That killed off his powers! Like antibodies! Or something! (Happy dance)". Did I mention that this story is completely random? I was _so_ not planning this when I was writing Eden. I'm scared the work might suffer for it. But then, Eden wasn't planned during Second Death, so maybe…

And when you visit my LJ…please comment! It's like getting reviews.

Eternity's Heir: Thank you!

CrazyYnMLoverxD: Yes, they're not nice people, are they?

FaerieRikki: Hope you enjoy!

kagehime: Newbie! (Glomps)

anon (last chapter of Second Death): Finally, someone else who likes TsuLeen!

Those plot elements were introduced because I had the ideas for them but simply did nto have the inspiration to explain them out in their own stories. Also, I'm no canon-thumper, so Kazusa remaining alive due to plot holes is no problem for me.

Muraki got plenty of time in Eden to make up for Second Death. As for the swearing, I was sharing a compter with my parents then, and I didn't trust them not to go snooping.

* * *

Bonds Unbreakable

* * *

"Oomph—! Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm incredibly lost and…oh."

Kushinada's aimless wanderings around the unfamiliar territory of Juohcho cubicles were abruptly cut short as she distractedly bumped into the last person she wanted to: her ancestor.

"Hi," she said, trying to control her jaw muscles.

"…Hi," Tsuzuki answered, taking a step back, avoiding making eye contact. "Um…you said you were lost?"

"I don't know where Kira-_san_ went. I…I think she might have let me wander on purpose."

"Really," Tsuzuki said lamely, severely regretting that Hisoka had left with Yoshiro—meeting one's long-lost ancestor who six years ago had been in on a plot to brainwash you is not something one wants to face alone. "I guess I could show you where—what?"

Kushinada turned her face away quickly. She had been trying to evade looking into Tsuzuki's face for this exact reason.

"Kushinada-…_san_? What was it?"

"Y-your eyes," she mumbled.

"My…?"

"They're just like his…like my husband's," she said hesitantly.

"…Oh."

"I'll tell you something, those eyes…they catch people's attention."

"I know," Tsuzuki said, bitterness seeping into his voice.

"People can fall for someone because of those eyes," Kushinada continued, her mind wandering back centuries.

"Or in spite of them," Tsuzuki muttered, turning away.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing." He took a step away. "Come on, I'll show you to—"

"A…Asato?"

He halted. "I…prefer to be called by my…family name. Even Hisoka calls me that."

"Oh." Kushinada's half-outstretched hand faltered and began nervously fiddling with the collar of her kimono.

"What was it?"

"Huh?" Her head, cast down, looked up.

"What were you going to say?" He had turned back towards her.

"I…I don't know, really. What _can_ I say?"

"I don't know." He gave a tight, half-shrug.

"I just want you to—six years ago…that was someone else."

"What?"

"I'm…there's three of me," she said, helplessly casting her mind to put an explanation into words. "There's who you met in Hell, there's who…was in that little boy's nightmare, and then there's me…right here, right now…talking to you. You…understand?"

"Y-yes."

"Just please know…I—the one right here and now—would never have done that to you, back there in Hell. _Please_ know that."

Tsuzuki nodded, mutely, with difficulty. His mouth was the moistness equivalent of the Sahara.

Kushinada looked away, clutching her kimono nervously.

"So I guess…you're my real ancestor?" Tsuzuki blurted out.

"The other one would have nothing to do with you, I know that," Kushinada said, allowing a small laugh into her wavering voice. "She's too bent on revenge on her…my…on Susano."

An uncomfortable silence.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Kushinada asked, surprised that he had broken the silence even though she knew she probably wouldn't have.

"Why…how could you have ever…? With _him_?"

"I don't know," Kushinada said. "I just did."

"He was thrown out of _Heaven_ for rebelling against God!" Tsuzuki yelped, a little louder than he meant to. Kushinada flinched.

"I didn't know that when I met him," she said, feebly defensive. "I only knew that I was going to be eaten, like all my sisters, and he was the only one who would oppose that dragon on my behalf."

"And why?" Tsuzuki demanded.

"I didn't care."

"You didn't…" Tsuzuki found himself out of fresh incredulous remarks. His desk chair was calling to him and he responded, flopping down into it heavily.

"Tsuzuki?"

"Why did you love him?" he asked, looking up into her eyes.

"Why do you love Hisoka?"

"Because of who he is," Tsuzuki said readily.

"But if that were the case, everyone would be in love with him. No, you…you love him for what he is to _you_. And it's the same with me."

"There's gotta be a difference there, though."

"I'm sure there is," Kushinada said, with a frail smile. "But that's the root of it, Tsuzuki. Believe me. I've had six years to mull it over. That's the only conclusion I can come to."

"I guess all the intelligence got left up at your end of the gene pool," Tsuzuki said, leaning back in his chair and looking at the ceiling.

"I'm sure that's not true."

"Just how far apart are we?" he asked, bringing his head down to look at her.

"Not very much. Demons live for thousands of years, even half-demons. I think we're only five generations apart…that makes you my great-great-great-grandson."

"What…what was the rest of my family like?"

"Reckless," Kushinada said, casting her mind back. "And bloodthirsty. I think your…father, yes, your father participated in both the American and our own civil war. He had quite a fetish for human girls, too…I saw your mother once. She was quite a beautiful woman."

"Prettiest in the village," Tsuzuki said, remembering one of the few good things about his childhood.

"In so many ways, you are nothing like the rest of our family, Tsuzuki."

"Will you be hurt if I say that's a good thing?"

She smiled faintly. "No. You're like me…before I was married. I changed so much…"

"I know."

"I'm not ashamed of falling in love with Susano, but I _am_ ashamed of who I became. I wonder if my children would have been different had I not…but that can't be changed now."

"Guess so."

"Bonding?" an amused voice asked.

"Kira-_san_," Kushinada said, turning around as Kira approached her charge.

"Glad to see you two getting along," Kira said, smiling lightly. "Considering what we just left an hour ago."

* * *

"Hey, Ru-_chan_," Kasane said guardedly, testing the water with the baby nickname she had always applied to Rui.

"What do you want?" Rui asked, nearly in a hiss.

""What do you want"?" Kasane mimicked nasally. "Well, I was _going_ to apologize for hitting you, but if you're going to be a bitch about it…"

"I accept your apology," Rui said, chilled.

"Man, you're something else, you know that?" Kasane said, flopping down on a chair. "Where's the mister?"

"I don't know; I think he went to go see those boys."

"You mean your children?" Kasane asked pointedly.

"I mean those abominations."

"Are you aware of the capacity you have for being a total asshole?" Kasane asked disbelievingly. "Our parents would be ashamed of you. Hell, I'm ashamed of you _for_ them."

"Ha, our parents, who _left_ Gensoukai?"

"For our _safety_, not for being ashamed of who they were!" Kasane yelled, jumping up.

"Then why did we take such great pains to hide ourselves, Kasane?" Rui shot back. "Why was I never allowed into my Shiki form, even when no one was near the house? Why were you punished when you defied that order? Why did we never find out what forms our parents took? Why were we told that we should regard our Shiki forms as monsters never to be revealed to anybody, not even those we married?"

"They were _afraid_, Rui!"

"They were _ashamed_!" Rui countered, flinging the word like a projectile. "And I am, too."

"Of yourself? Of your own children?"

Rui glared at her defiantly, eyes answering affirmatively.

"You're pathetic," Kasane stated bluntly, tears stinging at her eyes. "You hate Mom and Dad, your sons, yourself…and me."

"I don't hate you."

"Oh, that makes me feel _so_ special," Kasane said, her voice clipping into a sort of suppressed wail as she turned away. "And why don't you hate me, Rui?"

"The same reason you don't hate me. Because we're sisters."

Kasane had nearly forgotten Rui's frightening ability to be quite insightful at random, unexpected intervals.

"You can't hate me because of over two decades of growing up together," Rui continued, and in a breath illustrating twenty years of laughter and tears, fun and work, fights and playtimes.

"Does that make you feel powerful, Rui?" Kasane asked sarcastically.

"No. It makes me feel weak, because I am just like you." It was her time to turn away.

"Me, and not your children?"

"My children…bah, "my" children. I barely knew either of them. Nagare had the first one locked up when he was four. I only saw the second one once."

"I saw your face when you saw Yoshiro, Rui," Kasane argued. "One sure wouldn't know you only had him for a day."

"Shut up, Kasane," Rui spat.

"You're only mad because you know I'm right."

"Shut up, Kasane!" Rui screeched.

Kasane fell silent, as did Rui. Both sisters regarded each other suspiciously for a few silent seconds.

"Your husband didn't seem too perturbed to learn that you were a Shiki," Kasane finally said.

"My husband is a good man."

"I don't think Hisoka would agree."

"I'm not particularly interested in what that monster would think."

"If he's a monster, then you are a demon."

"Don't I know it."

"Rui!"

"You and I both," Rui pressed on.

"All right then, fine, say we're demons," Kasane said darkly. "At least _I _accept what I am and manage to like myself despite it—hell, I like myself _because_ it's contributed to who I am, and I think I turned out pretty damn good. I take it back, Rui. I'm not ashamed of you. I _pity_ you—pity you for the self-loathing you put yourself through and the motherhood you missed out on because you were too busy hating something that didn't need to be hated."

"Kasane?" a male voice called from several feet away.

"That's Byakko," Kasane said, still looking at Rui. "I can at least pride myself in saying I never lied to him…and he's only my boyfriend. Not my husband, and not my child."

She walked briskly away, Rui refusing to look after her.

* * *

Hisoka felt Nagare coming before he saw him, but the feeling of panic from before did not rise again. As much as he loathed the man, he was not about to say that Nagare was a fool, and he knew his father fully understood that a repeat of the previous mishap would land him in serious shit with the whole of Meifu.

"What do you want?" Hisoka demanded petulantly. He was sitting on the porch swing, Yoshiro dozing lightly in his lap.

"As much as you loathe to admit it, that boy is my son. Since what you did constitutes nothing short of kidnapping, I still have certain rights to him, you know. Not only that, what he said earlier makes things crystal clear—he considers me his father."

"Of course he does," Hisoka said, protectively cradling Yoshiro and turning away. "He's always known that I'm his brother."

"Why bother with that? So you could fill him up with hatred of me?"

"That's only a benefit. I just think it's wrong to lie to and hide things from a child," Hisoka explained, glaring. "Especially when it comes to his family tree."

Nagare crossed his arm and leaned against a post. "Still gnawing at that bone, eh?"

"Considering "that bone" is what killed me, I think I've got the right to gnaw on it."

"You weren't named that as a guarantee that Akuko would come to you."

"No, it was a crapshoot, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Nagare said. At the half-surprised, half-disgusted look on Hisoka face he continued, "I at least have always done you the courtesy of never lying to your face."

"I feel honored," Hisoka said sarcastically.

"You'd rather I be like your mother?"

"I hope you're using that term loosely," Hisoka muttered. "And you seem to have no problem with the fact that she's been lying to you for your entire married life."

"I knew what she was already," Nagare said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"What?"

"I heard her and Kasane bickering about it before you were born."

"And that didn't _bother_ you?"

"Not especially," Nagare admitted. "Rui's always been a vain thing."

"And yet, when something abnormal turned up in me, I became a monstrosity," Hisoka said, eyebrows raised skeptically. "Inconsistent, much?"

"There's quite a difference between a Shiki and a demon. _Especially_, as I keep informing you, when that demon is a danger to the well-being of Kamakura."

"You're full of shit."

"No, you just refuse to believe me."

"And you've given me _so_ many reasons to trust you in the past," Hisoka spat, adjusting Yoshiro. Nagare's eyes fell upon the snoozing child.

"You seem to think yourself a fit guardian for the boy," Nagare commented.

"Better than you."

"Let's say that your husband…Tsuzuki, his name is?…somehow became a danger to Yoshiro. And suppose that it came down to Tsuzuki or Yoshiro…who would you choose?"

"Looking to trap me, are you?" Hisoka asked, smiling, letting a bitter laugh out. "You have no idea what goes through our minds. You have no idea what's affecting us, what we've been through…in other words, we already discussed that. It would always be Yoshiro, no matter what."

"Then you understand what I did."

"No. Because when we made that decision, it was just that. _Our_ decision. What you did to me was all you. And that's why I took Yoshiro. You have _such_ little regard for your children."

"Was I supposed to haggle with a five-year-old?"

"No, you were supposed to love and raise a five-year-old. And you failed."

Silence. Father and son did not look each other in the eye.

"And for God's sake, if you were going to kill me, why did you let me suffer for three years? Appearances?"

"Yes. I am a leader. If I came across as someone who gave up on his son without a fight, I wouldn't be able to keep my leadership position and continue protecting Kamakura."

"You let me go through basically the equivalent of dying of AIDS, for appearances."

A nod.

"You're a pathetic bastard," Hisoka said plainly, with no venom, only the same resignation Nagare felt.

Nagare shrugged. "If you like."

"Well, I don't," Hisoka said with a sudden surge of emotion.

Yoshiro grimaced.

"You think I enjoy knowing that my father—my _father_ would rather his own child die than lose face…"

"The entire village was my child. An amputation is better than gangrene, isn't it?"

Yoshiro turned.

"Go to Hell."

A whimper caught both Nagare's and Hisoka's attention. Hisoka didn't even notice that Nagare had advanced as he gently shook Yoshiro into wakefulness.

"What's wrong, _otoutou_?" Hisoka asked gently, focused entirely on his brother as their father knelt down to get a better view of Yoshiro. "Did you have another nightmare?"

"Scary lady," Yoshiro intoned, sleep and fear mingling with each other. "Saying "Gen-sou-kai"."

"Gensou—…oh my God."

He stood quickly, Yoshiro still in his arms.

"She's after Suzaku and Touda, too."


	7. Conjecture

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yami no Matsuei

**Shout-outs:**

kagehime: Thank you much! Yes, you're going to meet Hiko.

AnimeAngelRin: For a minute there I though you were being sarcastic and didn't like the chapter!

laustic: The relationship between Hisoka and Nagare is going to undergo several trials and tribulations, so to speak. The bitterness between them…well, you're just gonna have to read to the end to see what becomes of that.

Eternity's Heir: (Glows underneath the lovely praise) Thank you!

Amethyst-eyed Koneko: I figured Tsuzuki would take a less hard-liner stance against Kushinada given his own nature (look at how he treated Maria, which is a similar—though not identical—situation). Kushinada will get the chance to prove herself more toward the end.

Yes, Nagare is everything you said about him. However, I keep wanting to do something more to him—hence this story. Like with Kushinada, you'll have to read ahead to know what's going to happen to both him and Rui, especially in regards as to how they view _both_ their sons.

Someone else coined "Terazuma-lings". "Birdling" came from my own childhood, when I would spread a towel behind my back and say I was a "batling".

Masami-chan: Welcome back! And thank you for all the compliments.

**Side Note #1:** Arson, torture of small animals, and bed-wetting are the three major signs that a child will grow up to be a serial killer.

**Side Note #2:** Gensoukai and Meifu obviously have different concepts of time, considering that Tenko is supposed to be thousands of years old but looks like a child. However, if I subscribe to that, Hiko would not look like the five-year-old he is—indeed, he wouldn't even been born yet. So let's just ignore the differing time zones for this fic.

Interesting mathematical note: If the developmental equivalent of one Meifu year is one-thousand Gensoukai years, it would take seven hundred and fifty Gensoukai years to carry a baby to term. Can you imagine Suzaku pregnant for that long? Poor Suzaku! For that matter, poor Touda!

**Side Note #3:** "The life of the creature is in the blood"—Leviticus, 17:11. This law prohibited the Israelites and anyone living among them to eat blood. I've read that this law had a couple reasons—to promote compassion for animals, and to separate the Israelites from their polytheistic neighbors—but I took a quite literal stance on it here.

**Off-Topic Rambling:** Did you know there's some kind of linguistics test that tells you if the writer is male or female? I tried it out with a text from "Filial Piety" and the test told me (correctly) that I am female. But then I tried it again with text from my novel, and it told me I was male! I confess: I'm really a hermaphrodite! (Pauses. Realizes some people will take me seriously). No, I am fully biologically female. Though this does raise interesting questions about what exactly _defines_ masculinity and femininity. Personally, I'm inclined to leave it up to the anatomy and screw the gender roles.

**Off-Topic Rambling #2:** I AM SO SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY. However, I managed to be productive. I wrote a YnM essay and updated the YnM jukebox (visit my livejournal by clicking on my "Homepage" button to see them—and I would appreciate it A LOT if you guys left comments), and managed to finally write a fic I've been envisioning since May of last year ("A Dream Deferred"; please read and review). I revised the outline for FP, too, which means this story will be longer, better structured, and hopefully more impacting.

Unfortunately this chapter is Set-Up Chapter from Hell (weeps). I hope you manage to enjoy it, anyway.

* * *

Conjecture

* * *

"There's no way in Hell I'm going to Gensoukai!"

"Really? Not even if it's to find the demon who murdered your husband and tried to kill you?"

Rui's eyes narrowed. "You're not going to trap me, Kasane. I'm not going into that place."

"That "place" is our ancestral home, and where I've been living for twenty-three years," Kasane returned bitterly.

"I am no Shiki, Kasane."

"Your genes would say otherwise."

"And I don't belong in Gensoukai."

"Your husband is going."

"I'm not his keeper. He can do whatever he wants."

"Huh. Was that your line of reasoning when he locked your son up in a basement?"

"I'm sick of telling you, Kasane; I have no children!" Rui screamed, her face inches away from Kasane's. She let out a little yelp as Kasane's hand connected solidly with the back of her head.

"Well, screw you, Rui!" Kasane yelled, stepping backwards. "Maybe I just won't have a sister, then!"

Rui resisted the urge to cackle. "As if you could do that."

"Shut up," Kasane snapped, turning sharply. "Stay here and sulk, then. See if I care."

Rui did not point out that it was obvious Kasane did care, and very much. In any case she did not get the chance, as Kasane was gone in the handful of seconds it took Rui's mind to process the thought.

* * *

"You sure it's a good idea to leave him with us?" Tsubaki asked, Yoshiro sleeping in her arms. Eileen stood behind her.

"Better with you than at the lab," Hisoka said. "I can't take him to Gensoukai with us; it's too dangerous."

"But what if…what if this is a bluff?"

"I doubt it. She'd want revenge on Suzaku and Touda—especially Touda. Just keep Yoshiro in Hong Kong to be safe."

"Okay."

* * *

"Touda, I've told you a million times over, you do _not_ give Hiko target practice that involves live beings!" Suzaku struck the back of Touda's head with a stirring spoon. "Do you _want_ our child to grow up to be a serial killer?"

"Darling, you know better than I do that targets are more often than not moving."

"And what's _that's_ supposed to mean?" Suzaku demanded at Touda's smirking face.

"Surely you remember our quite volatile relationship prior to our little escapade into Hell? I was more often than not your moving target."

"Well, we're going to go back to those days if I find out Hiko's been aiming fireballs at birds again. He's getting harder and harder for Tenko to handle. You want us to lose a baby-sitter, Touda?"

"I'll start worrying if he starts wetting the bed. Hey!" He dodged another blow to the head with the spoon. "Domestic violence!"

"Wuss!" Suzaku shot back, annoyance turning into banter.

"Mom! Mom! _Mom_!"

Suzaku was nearly knocked over as her five-year-old son crashed into her leg.

"What's the matter?" she asked, straightening out the leg that Hiko was attached to.

"Tsuzuki-_san_ is here! And Hisoka-_san_! And a bunch of people I don't know!"

"Tsuzuki's here?" Suzaku repeated. All traces of fighting with Touda disappeared; she gleefully grabbed her son's hand and raced out the door, Touda following at a more leisurely pace.

"Yeah, but Yoshiro's not," Hiko said with a pout, his feet inadvertently dragging as Suzaku tugged him along.

"I would predict that means something's wrong," Touda muttered, catching up to his wife and child, but Suzaku did not hear him. Tsuzuki was in sight, and soon was trying very hard to stay standing upright under the weight of the phoenix's human form.

"Do you realize you have not been back here for almost a year?" Suzaku scolded, smacking the top of Tsuzuki's head with her fist. "I'm surprised Hiko even remembers what you look like!"

"Sorry," Tsuzuki apologized sheepishly.

"Hi, welcome back," Touda said, having replaced Suzaku as Hiko's hand-holder.

"Hey," Hisoka greeted.

"Who are these people?"

Hisoka sighed loudly. "Welcome to the town of It's A Long Story."

"How important is it?"

"Extremely."

"Why, what's the matter?" Suzaku asked, letting go of Tsuzuki.

"Um, excuse me," Kushinada said, stepping forward from Kira's side.

"Do I know you?" Touda asked.

"Well…the last time you and I met, I was run through your leg."

"What?"

"_You're_ Kushinada?" Suzaku screeched. Kushinada nodded, slowly, miserably. "What's this mean?"

"At the end of the war with Hell, two things happened," Hisoka said. "A handful of demon survivors scattered through Japan, and Amaterasu took Kushinada up to Heaven to erase her memories and then return her to earth. A few days ago, one of those demons met up with her, split her into two beings, and took a crazy vengeful Queen of Hell with him, leaving behind this one right here." He gestured to Kushinada. "Kushinada-_youkai_ and the other demon then went to my…to Kamakura. They killed my…" He gestured to Nagare. "Him. My father."

"You're his father?" Suzaku demanded of Nagare.

"Yes," Nagare said plainly.

"You son of a bitch."

"Nice to meet you, too."

"I look forward to pounding you into the ground later," Suzaku said pleasantly, in an imitation of civility.

"You were saying?" Touda directed at Hisoka.

"Then they go back to murder Rui…my mother." He nearly spat the name out.

"Is that who this is?" Touda asked, pointing to Kasane.

"Touda, you need to socialize more," Suzaku chided. "That's Byakko's girlfriend."

"Actually, I'm Rui's twin," Kasane said.

"You're what?"

"My mother's family is from Gensoukai. They left to escape the wars," Hisoka continued.

"I knew there was something off about you," Touda said.

"You're a Shikigami, then?" Suzaku asked.

"Half," Hisoka corrected. "I don't have any powers, though; they got killed off because of Akuko's possession of me."

"Is your mother dead?"

"No," Kasane said bitterly. "Me and Byakko rescued her. Now she's holed up in Meifu, refusing to come here because she's ashamed of being a Shikigami." Byakko made a face, in keeping with his girlfriend's tone.

"And why are you here?"

"Because Kushinada-_youkai_ is coming to Gensoukai," Tsuzuki said, finally able to get a word in.

"She's…she's _what_?" Suzaku yelped.

"Yoshiro has cognitive abilities—he sees things through his dreams. He saw her planning to come here. He doesn't know exactly where or when, but he knows she's coming."

"I suppose that's only natural," Touda said, feeling a throb in his leg where six years ago Kushinada had been thrown as a last-ditch attempt on Susano's part to stop the onslaught. "Hiko, your parents are dangerous people," he informed his son, who was more occupied with sucking on his fingers than listening to the conversation.

Suzaku plucked her son off the ground immediately, as if expecting Kushinada-_youkai_ and Shizonai to explode out from under his feet.

"We're taking Hiko out of here," she said unequivocally. "There's no way he's going to be here when that bitch attacks us."

"Nice impression you're giving your child," Nagare said.

"I don't think you have any room to talk," Suzaku snapped, her eyes darting to him swiftly before deciding to completely ignore him.

"He'll be safe in Meifu," Tsuzuki said.

"Nn-nn," Touda corrected. "We're Shiki—different from live humans. We don't have that default "dying in Meifu is a double negative" thing."

"He'd be safe there for now, though," Suzaku interrupted.

"There are more demons than just her and Shizonai—the one who split me," Kushinada interjected. "But I don't think she's going to employ them while we're here. I know her—she's my evil half, after all. She wants direct revenge, face-to-face."

"That only works if she knows _we're_ here," Kira said.

"And by the time she does, Gensoukai will be in a state of crisis and the Gates will shut down, just like they did six years ago," Suzaku finished off. "Shit, shit, shit…"

"So in other words, Hiko is staying right here," Touda said.

"That's why I left Yoshiro in Hong Kong," Hisoka said at Tsuzuki.

"Shit, _shit_," Suzaku spat, pressing her son to her bosom even tighter.

"Now you know why I'm having him practice on moving things."

"Shut up, Touda," Suzaku said, a trace automatically. "All right. We need to go find Seiryuu and let him know that we're going to be attacked. At least this time we have _warning_."

Kushinada flushed and averted her eyes.

"I need to find Kurikara, too," Hisoka said. In the six years of being Kurikara's employer—he had been warned emphatically not to ever consider himself Kurikara's "master"—he had barely spoken to the Shiki, as part of a mutual undeclared agreement based on the disastrousness of their first meeting right before the battle in Hell.

"I'll go get Seiryuu," Tsuzuki offered.

"Then we'll stay here on watch," Byakko said.

"And find a place to put my son," Suzaku said, refusing to relinquish her hold on the child even as he struggled to free himself.

* * *

"Well. Haven't seen you in awhile."

"I thankfully haven't needed your services," Hisoka replied, cautiously sitting down on a wall overlooking Kurikara several feet below. Kurikara preferred to avoid interacting in the city he adored, and staying within the training ground seemed to him the perfect way to watch over and avoid the inhabitants of Kansei.

"So you need them now?"

"Yes. Against a…"

"Demon queen," Kurikara interrupted.

"How did you know?" Hisoka demanded.

"Don't underestimate the power of sound to carry, Hisoka-_neko_."

Hisoka exhaled loudly. "Is there any need for you to call me that?"

"To see how much you've grown up. Six years ago you would have exploded at the name."

"Yeah, well, when you have a baby, you tend to grow up," Hisoka said. "Most of the time, anyway," he added in a mutter to himself.

"You harbor some bitterness towards your father, I gather," Kurikara said flatly.

"Do you have some kind of weird psychic connection with me?"

"No, but I do have a good memory. Recall our first meeting when I—correctly—guessed that you would not fight for whomever made you give up your original family name? Given the fact that I could overhear your conversation, I'm going to assume that it's your father who destroyed your filial piety?"

"He and mother dearest both," Hisoka said, seeing no reason to lie to Kurikara.

"And what's your damage?"

"Physical abuse from mother. Emotional abuse from the both of them. Criminal neglect. Oh, and they're essentially the ones who actually took my life."

"Heavy baggage."

"You think?" Hisoka said shortly. "Have I won your pardon regarding my, as you put it, "self-centeredness"?"

"No."

"I expected as much," Hisoka muttered, pushing himself off the wall and landing solidly on his feet. "It doesn't matter, anyway. I don't really care. I just needed to let you know that we're going to be battling with demons sometime soon, probably today, but I guess you already knew that."

"I suppose your father is going to fight them as well?" Kurikara asked.

"She killed him. He wants revenge." Hisoka caught sight of Kurikara's face. "It's not for anything so noble as some sort of sudden fatherly affection."

"I doubt _that_ ever went away."

"Um, did you miss what I just told you?" Hisoka asked, blinking incredulously.

"All parents bear some sort of attachment to their children," Kurikara said matter-of-factly.

"And you know this by, what, firsthand experience?"

"Yes."

"What?"

"Don't make the mistake of thinking that yours is the first father to kill his son." Seeing Hisoka move to question, Kurikara hastily continued. "That's what happens in war. You kill people, including family. Doesn't mean your attachment to them magically goes away."

"That's just it. It's attachment, not love."

Kurikara shrugged and turned away. "Isn't love just an attachment?"

"That's not the kind of love I want from a parent."

Kurikara snorted. "You're hard to please, aren't you?"

"I don't think my standards are that high, but whatever. I don't want to debate that right now. I just wanted to tell you what's probably gonna happen within the day or maybe tomorrow, if we're lucky."

"We won't be."

"Yeah, I know."

* * *

"This place is almost…dumpy."

"I'll be sure to tell Kurikara you said that," Suzaku informed Nagare with a snarl. The Shiki's pride in the city was of almost astronomical proportions. It delighted Suzaku to imagine what Kurikara would inflict on anyone who dared insult it.

"If by "almost dumpy" you mean old, full of history, and still not fully recovered from a devastating war, then yes, it is," Kasane grumbled.

"I can see why Rui wouldn't want to come back."

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Nagare! You are the most pretentious asshole I've ever met."

"I applaud you," Suzaku said gravely, clapping her hands lightly.

"I'm only recording what I'm observing," Nagare said. "In your case, you're lucky if this place isn't fully recovered, considering the damage it's probably going to take from Kushinada."

"We're going to try and lure her away from the city when we meet her," Suzaku said, regarding Nagare venomously.

"And while we're on that topic, are you expecting to take on Kushinada with just that sword?" Touda asked from beside his wife, pointing to the aforementioned katana sitting in Nagare's sheath-belt.

"I take it you think that's not good enough?"

"Smart man, you are."

"It doesn't do well to underestimate people," Nagare said plainly.

"It doesn't do well to overestimate them, either."

Nagare shrugged. "We _are_ up against only two of them."

"You shouldn't think little of Shizonai," Kushinada said nervously. "Only the most powerful demons survived the severed connection to Susano. And he's drank my blood."

"Wait, what?" Suzaku asked, eyeing the woman suspiciously.

"When…when Shizonai found me again, he bit my hand and drank some of my blood. And…you know what was written…"The life of the creature is in the blood"…you see, Susano gave me the ability to literally cut things in half—become a sword—and when Shizonai took my blood he took that power. He can't transform into a sword, but he was able to cut my soul in half: me, and the evil queen of Hell that's coming after us now."

"So what can you do in regards to her?"

"I know her personality. We both have the ability to transform. Beyond that…I don't know."

"Honestly, I'm not expecting this battle to be it," Kira interrupted. "It might be better for us to try and gauge what kind of strength they have right form the outset. Of course, I'm not averse to getting my hands bloody, if need be," she added, smiling.

"You're awful violent for a priest," Touda said

"An _exorcist_," Kira corrected, "and one who hasn't been on active duty for six years. I'm a little bored, okay?"

"You're a little frightening."

"I know," Kira said, somewhat proudly.

A sudden inhalation courtesy of Kushinada caught all their attention. She had slapped her hands around herself as shivers went down her arms, biting down hard on her lower lip. Her eyes were stricken.

"Well. I think we figured out how else you're connected with your evil genius," Kira said, standing up. "My money's on ten minutes."

"I'll take that bet," Touda responded. "Make it five."


	8. First Loss

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yami no Matsuei

**Shout-outs:**

AnimeAngelRin: Well, we all need our humor. "SoE" was entirely too dark. The way I see it, it's been six years of growing up, handling problems, and being distracted by a bunch of kids, so they're going to be slightly less EMOANGSTYOMG.

laustic: Remember Kurikara and Hisoka's conversation, it'll be important later. Thank you for being the only one who's posted on my LJ.

Eternity's Heir: Thank you so much! (Snuggles)

animephreak80: I generally find YnM fandom to be superior to, say, Harry Potter fandom in the Gawd Awful Fanfiction department (though YnM has it's fair share of crap). And actually, I know thee people named Adam and they wouldn't bother reading, let alone reviewing, so your review means plenty to me. Especially when you compliment my plot, writing, and research all in one fell swoop. You guys are making me a blush factory, seriously.

You know, I hadn't given much thought as to Kaneko becoming Yutaka again. I suppose it would be terribly funny if the dosage was like birth control and missing a day reverted Kaneko back to Yutaka. Imagine trying to explain to Kyoko that Mommy is now her second Daddy. Perhaps I'll write that drabble one day…LIGHTBULB MOMENT! I know when I can use this. I won't tell you, because it's a spoiler.

Amethyst-eyed Koneko: I was getting seriously worried! That's what sucks about internet friends…you never know if something's happened to them. I'm sorry it took so long…play season is an effective inspiration-killer.

I've only seen a little bit of FMA and haven't confirmed any pairings in my eyes, though I do like Ed/Winry.

I thought of you when Suzaku applied the verbal bitchsmack to Nagare. I'm glad you liked it, since I wasn't too happy with that chapter (set-up chapters start to get to me after awhile). Unfortunately, action stories aren't my forte either (why am I writing them?) so this might be a long time coming.

FaerieRikki: Suzaku against Nagare is awesome, yes it is. As for Nagare's attachment to his sons…you'll just have to read to find out!

Masami-chan: I avoided HSM like the plague because it just looked like yet another high school movie…one that I definitely couldn't get into (I mean, come on. My school's Thespian Society consists of AP students, band geeks, and lacrosse players.)

Well, hope your worry makes you read and consequently review as quickly as possible!

Kiko812: Kiko should go to bed earlier (Luna is a flippin' hypocrite).

ShinigamixGirl: Why'd you change your name?

jennamarie: I'm gonna respond as soon as you're done catching up, okay?

**Note #1:** Just thought you should know that FP is due for seventeen chapters, give or take. My muses are all on strike, so I don't know how good those chapters are going to be…

**Note #2:** I AM SO SORRY THAT THIS TOOK FOREVER. VERY VERY SORRY.

**Off-Topic Rambling:** Sorry to bug y'all about this again, but it gets a little lonely over at my LJ…just click on the "Homepage" link on my bio…you know you want to…it's shiny…

* * *

First Loss

* * *

"Okay, Hiko, I want you to stay right here," Suzaku said, after carrying her son into the lowest level of her palace. "Do not come out for any reason, okay? Hiko? Pay attention to me."

The young boys peripatetic eyes attempted to travel back to his mother.

"What did I say?"

"Stay here and don't come out," Hiko responded uninterestedly.

"For _any reason_," Suzaku added sternly, noticing her son's attention wandering again.

"Mm-hmm," Hiko intoned.

* * *

"It's disgusting to me that you and I are the same flesh."

Kushinada froze up as the nasty hiss reached her ears. Her entire body trembled, rendering it impossible for her to turn around, even though she did not need sight to confirm who it was.

"We have the same body, the same blood, but different souls. I thank the powers that be for that, you treacherous whore," Kushinada-_youkai_ kissed.

"I am not," Kushinada defended herself in a hoarse whisper.

"You betray the man we lived with for millennia to aid the ones who killed him!" She grabbed her benign counterpart and whipped her around. Kushinada flinched underneath the demon's red gaze. "Loyalty isn't in your vocabulary, is it, you stupid bitch?"

"Leave me alone!" Kushinada yelled, finally plucking up enough courage to push away.

"My pleasure. It sickens me to know that we're breathing the same air. Which might be why only Shizonai is battling your allies."

She suddenly disappeared from sight, though her voice remained.

"That, or he can handle your pathetic little militia."

* * *

At first Kasane figured defeating an enemy she had already once defeated was going to be an easy task.

When three claw wounds began festering in her arm, she had to reconsider.

"Shit, what the hell?" she hissed, her hand clapped to her upper arm as blood ran out from between her fingertips. Her skin was beginning to bubble and hiss around the wound, a thick bloody steam floating out from the tears in her flesh.

"Thought this would be easy, did you?" Shizonai snarled, his teeth suddenly sinking into her ear.

Kasane shrieked as the tip of her lobe was ripped off. Her cry was matched by a pained, surprised yelp as another set of teeth sunk into Shizonai's arm courtesy of Byakko, whose jaws tore Shizonai away from Kasane and flung him backwards.

"Honey, transform!" Byakko half-hissed, half-whispered, his tongue gently lapping at her bleeding ear before he turned his attention back to Shizonai, who had just narrowly dodged decapitation from Kurikara's Futsu. Locking his hand around his wrist, an expanding funnel of dark red energy ripped out of his outfacing palm. Kurikara leapt backwards; the energy missed him and instead incinerated a small group of trees that had previously acted as a windbreaker for Suzaku's palace.

Shizonai stepped backwards from the energy spent and was immediately hit by twin o-fuda spells from Tsuzuki and Hisoka, pushing him forwards and his shoulder into Nagare's sword, whose owner had snuck up during the distraction. With a snarl Shizonai struck out with his other arm, ripping three gashes into Nagare's face as he pulled his impaled shoulder free and pushed himself up off the ground, slapping a hand to his wound. His skin flashed a dim white and then sewed itself back together.

"Did he just _heal himself_?" Hisoka spat.

"Well, Kushinada can go back to being a person, so he probably took that from her, too," Kira said from beside him, a few feet away. "Reverse splitting, I guess. Where _is_ she, anyway?"

"We lost her when the battle began," Byakko said, falling back beside Kira as Suzaku took his place, swinging her zanbatou furiously at Shizonai's head. He dodged, also missing being hit from both sides with water from Kasane and fire from Touda. The two powers slammed together but before negating each other, Shizonai formed a white ball in his palm and slapped it against the intermingling elements. Fire and water split from each other and were sent back towards their owners. A sudden wind tunnel grabbed Kasane by the wrist and pulled her out of the way of her own attack.

"Touda!"

The blunt side of Suzaku's zanbatou was suddenly taking the brunt of the fire. Streams of flames slid and shot off from the edges as Suzaku's elbows were forced backwards under the strain.

"Shit…I can't hold this!" Suzaku muttered trough gritted teeth.

"Kasane!" Touda shouted, and then he roughly grabbed Suzaku's shoulders and jerked her and himself away. The fire shot forward like water from a broken dam just barely above their heads. A torrent of water from Kasane followed the trajectory of fire, cutting it in half and dousing the trailing end.

"Oh God…" Suzaku whispered, watching the leading end cut through the air where there had once been trees, towards her castle where her son was.

* * *

Contrary to popular belief, Hiko did, on occasion, heed at least some of his mother's words. He had stayed in the lowest level of the palace, as per her orders. When the roof of the lowest level was ripped off he ducked and covered his head with his hands, just like she had instructed him after the last time she and Touda had an argument.

But being an easily-distracted toddler born of two Fire Shiki, the scent of flames was like to him the scent of cookies to an ordinary young child: something to be investigated.

The stairs had not survived and his second element was Earth, not Air, and thus he was without wings. Screwing up his face in concentration, he willed his body into the shape of the dragon-like snake form he had inherited from his father. The floor of the lowest level was earth, and his small wriggling body soon pushed a tunnel into the dirt.

* * *

The deadly pale of Suzaku's face mixed with the bloodshot of her eyes sparked a vaguely familiar fire that sucked the air out of Tsuzuki's lungs. For a moment Tsuzuki thought that all his years were catching up with him and his heart was undergoing cardiac arrest. It was only when white began creeping over his eyes that it dawned on him.

"No…" he croaked hoarsely, stepping back. Akuko's derisive voice, Hisoka's screams, Muraki's laughter, dimly sounded in his head as a terrible heat and pain began to grow in his chest. "_Hisoka_…"

Shizonai's ears twitched and he cast his eyes down on his queen's descendant. A quick sniff produced an ear-splitting malicious grin.

"I love the smell of demon power in the afternoon," he said, just loudly enough for all his enemies to hear him and turn their attentions towards Tsuzuki. "What?" Shizonai continued, seeing even from his great distance sweat beginning to pour down Tsuzuki's sheet-white face. "Not used to your true self? Shame."

"_Shit_," Hisoka spat, hastily putting up psychological barriers. "You guys, keep fighting!" he shouted at the Shikigami, before turning back to his pallid, sweat-soaked husband and shoving him by the shoulders against a tree. "Okay, Tsuzuki? Listen to me. Concentrate _only on me_. Nothing else is happening. Okay? Pay attention to me. Only me."

A ripping sound was heard; Kurikara had sliced Futsu cleanly through Shizonai's shoulder, severing the arm from the socket. Instead of the expected pain-filled shriek, a manic laugh was sounded. Shizonai's remaining arm snatched the falling appendage out of the air and shoved it against his torn skin. When he took his hand away, his arm was reattached as perfectly as if it had never been removed.

"Tsuzuki, this is nothing," Hisoka continued. "Absolutely nothing."

Suzaku's screech suddenly caught both Tsuzuki's and Hisoka's attention away from the creeping darkness inside Tsuzuki. Several feet away from them was a ring of upended dirt surrounding a hole in the ground, and a small, befuddled, black-haired boy stood beside it.

Shizonai pulled back, away from the group of Shiki, his gaze directed at Hiko with the expression of one about to squish an insect. Lazily he flicked his index fingernail against the tip of his thumb, creating a small spark. A quick puff of breath, and the small spark was rocketing towards the boy, gaining in circumference as it hurtled towards him at breakneck speed.

The light was blinding and near-deafening; Hisoka only dimly heard the sound of rapid footfall before it was drowned out by an explosion that nearly—though not quite—overpowered Touda and Suzaku's twin screams.

The light dissipated and Suzaku's gasp went mid-way from horrified to wonderstruck.

"Kid, I don't think it's a good idea to be here right now," Nagare said. Hiko hung precariously by the back of his shirt at the hilt of Nagare's sword; Nagare had stabbed upwards through the fabric and drove the point all the way through, lifting the boy off his feet and pulling him back away from the blast. Nagare pushed the boy forward as if wiping butter off a knife, letting the sword rip though his shirt until Hiko was completely free and he landed on the ground. The boy did not need telling twice; he instantly turned back into his snake form and plowed back into the ground.

* * *

"Kira-sama."

The sound of a small, disturbed voice made Kira whip around from where she had been scrutinizing the mid-air battle.

"You look like hell," Kira commented.

"I saw her. My other half."

"Yeah? And when is she going to show up?"

"She isn't. She says that Shizonai can handle us."

"Well, she was right," Kira said, pointing up towards their losing battle. "Probably because he took her blood. And if that's the case, then she's even stronger than he is."

"She's using power I didn't even know we had."

"I bet Susano kept it from you, to keep you his drone." She clicked her tongue against her teeth to silence any argument. "Okay…so what are we supposed to do? I was hoping I could observe, but it looks like _that_ plan got shot all to Hell. We don't have the wherewithal to face _one_ all-powerful demon, let alone _two_…"

"Kira-sama, look!"

Kira turned, following the trajectory of Kushinada's pointing hand. An unearthly translucent red glow had surrounded Shizonai as he drifted downward like a bubble. The surrounding trees as far as ten feet away felt the effects of the descent, by being obliterated.

"Great," Kira deadpanned. "Now we can't go near him."

"Kira-sama, can't you…can't you use your Holy Water?" Kushinada asked, gesturing to Kira's belt.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to. I'm just worried about…"

"About what?"

"How much power it's gonna take. And…"

"And what?" Kushinada asked, grabbing Kira's sleeve. Kira's hard gaze was fixed on Shizonai. She was chewing on the inside of her cheek.

"Huh. That may be it."

"Kira-sama?"

Kira pushed Kushinada off her sleeve and patted her hand. "You're good to have as a younger sister, you know that? You're definitely not another Ukyo, but I kinda regret not having you as a sister all these years, too. Here." Kira pulled a vial out of her belt and plopped it in Kushinada's hand. "It's all I can spare. Don't get it on you, okay?"

"Kira-sama!"

Kira took off, sprinting past the group of fighters who had fallen back once Shizonai's destructive defensive had begun.

"Hey, Kurosaki!" Kira shouted, barely slowing down. "You've still got that nifty soul-snatching trick, right?"

"Wha—?" Hisoka began.

"I'm gonna need it in a few seconds!" she called over the roaring of the wind.

"Fall back!" Kushinada screamed from where Kira had left her standing, tears streaming down her face. "_Tsuzuki, get away from there!_"

Kira's pale blonde hair glinted in the sunlight and then disappeared. There was the sound of breaking glass, then a startled shout from Shizonai, and finally the red glow was replaced by pure, sparkling, soundless white.

Without thinking Hisoka pushed Tsuzuki behind him and concentrated on the image of Kira. A rush of cool air swept over him, wiping off the injuries he had sustained in the fight, almost breaking his meditation on the exorcist's spirit. He bit down on his lip. He hadn't had to use Illusory Magic in a long time, not since the last time Tsuzuki had…

"Hey, thanks, kid," Kira said, turning inward into Hisoka's psyche. "Wasn't sure if that would obliterate me or not, so I didn't wanna take a chance. I already said my good-byes to Kushinada, so could you do me a favor and tell Oriya I said "'bye"?"

"Sure," Hisoka mind said back to her.

"See ya."

Kira's presence absconded before Hisoka properly registered it. Her filter escaped him quietly as well as quickly, leaving him with his own eye to see the half-destroyed landscape and those comrades that just a moment ago showed obvious signs of battle wear.

* * *

I AM VERY VERY SORRY. Not only did this chapter take over a month to crank out, I don't even like it that much. Please forgive me if it's total crap, but I have to move on to the next chapter before inspiration dies. Once again, VERY VERY SORRY. 


	9. Regroup

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yami no Matsuei

**Shout-outs:**

AnimeAngelRin: It makes me sad to see Kira go, too, but she had to, for several reasons. 1) It ties in with the overall theme of the trilogy story, 2) It was highly unrealistic that everyone survived Hell so I had to make up for it, and 3) I was channeling Joseph Campbell and had to get rid of the Wise Mentor.

What did you find intriguing?

I hated writing that fight scene. _That's_ what took me a month. I'm never going to write action ever again after this story.

laustic: (Hugs) Thanks, sweetie.

jennamarie: Here we go!

SoE, chapter 3: Rui's relationship with her children is going to be explored in FP, and eventually resolved, hopefully believably.

SoE, chapter 4: I love Miya, ergo I put her through Hell. In the next story I might put up here, lots of crap happens to Miya.

SoE, chapter 6: I _loved_ paralleling the end of the King of Swords arc. And I can see where you'd be leery of a holy entity being crass. But, it fits her.

SoE, chapter 8: Yes, I loves me some TeraBa.

SoE, chapter 10: His Empathy expanded because I didn't think that through very well. Okay, revisionist explanation: With Akuko's spirit in Hisoka's body, the Empathy's power was naturally somewhat suppressed. When Akuko was forced out of Hisoka's body, he manifested a body and his power returned fully. During the second rape, Akuko removed some of his amplified power and sent it into Hisoka. Then he died. When Hisoka woke up, his practice with controlling the Empathy helped him from completely overloading, though he had some trouble, which is why he later collapsed.

SoE, chapter 11: Ruka is made of awesome. I'm so glad I invented Illusory Magic. And I hope you start to like Touda/Suzaku. They are so Darcy/Elizabeth.

SoE, chapter 14: I just hope I pulled off all the emotions and drama that came with the recovery. I really wanted it to contribute to their emotional and romantic growth. And as for the plants conversation…read into it as much as you want.

FP, chapter 8: I'll explain what happened with Tsuzuki this chapter. And yes, Kira has unfortunately died. She threw herself against Shizonai's barrier, causing herself to explode. As she did, the vials full of Holy Water also broke, and enough did so that Shizonai was splashed and killed. Kira dying would have erased her soul, so she asked Hisoka to channel her. He did so, and once Shizonai was gone she left Hisoka's body to go to Heaven.

Amethyst-eyed Koneko: I thought Ed/Winry was sweet. See, I'm not especially enamored of Het, Slash, OR Femme Slash. In fact, in YnM, I have eleven Het pairings (Terazuma/Wakaba, Tenko/Riko, Oriya/Kira, Miya/Tatsumi, Seiryuu/Kouchin, Touda/Suzaku, Miya/Rikugo, Muraki/Ukyo, Maria/Kijin, Hijiri/Kazusa, and Miya/Hisoka puppy love—thirteen if you count Ruka/Shinji and Seiryuu/OFC), but only eight Slash (Tsuzuki/Hisoka, Kotaro/Kojiro, Mitani/Izuru, Tatsumi/Tsuzuki, Watari/Tatsumi, Tatsumi/Muraki, Watari/Oriya, and Muraki/Oriya) and four Femme Slash (Yuma/Saya, Chizuru/Rika, Maki/Mariko, and Tsubaki/Eileen—five if you count Ruka/Ukyo). Point? My shipping interests range far and wide. (Though I do love to see boys kissing, yes I do)

The Holy Water killed him. More on Kira's death this chapter. And we're just starting on the road to Nagare's character growth. And I don't think Hiko is especially stubborn or disobedient…I actually think I gave him ADD. That's a scary thought.

Kagehime: I love all my littl'uns, too. (Snuggles them) Yes, Kira is dead. (Sad)

A lacto-ovo vegetarian is one who has given up meat and animal products (gelatin, leather), but still eats eggs and dairy (milk, cheese). That's what I am, but I insist on organic eggs and milk. Oh, and my high school sang "Only Hope" last year, too.

MeghanthePagan: You are an absolute sweetheart, you know that?

Chrono21: Hope you had a safe plane ride.

**Off-Topic Rambling:** I seem to have a thing for losing pets during the course of this story. Our last pet chicken passed on today (5/3/06). She was twelve, double the average chicken's lifespan, and like Sebastian died peacefully in her sleep. I guess we jinxed ourselves, talking about how old she was…man, I wish the Gushoshin were real; they'd love her.

* * *

Regroup

* * *

"Hisoka, I'm…" 

"Hm?" Hisoka turned around. Tsuzuki stood behind him, biting his bottom lip uneasily. For the half hour after the battle he had doggedly, almost religiously, avoided looking in Hisoka's face. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry…about earlier." He gestured helplessly. "That hasn't happened for nearly a year…I thought it'd stopped for good."

Hisoka studied Tsuzuki's face for a few seconds, before going forward and wrapping his arms around Tsuzuki's neck and planting a kiss on his lips.

"Don't worry about it so much," Hisoka assured in a soft voice. "You can't help it. You didn't ask for it to start happening to you. And I can always stop it, somehow…"

"It scares me, Hisoka," Tsuzuki protested, somehow unable to disengage himself from Hisoka's hold. "I could barely do anything to help you all today because of it…and if I ever lose complete control…"

"Stop it," Hisoka ordered, stepping back and slapping Tsuzuki's collarbone. "We already decided what we would do if that should ever happen, and I don't want to talk about it again. I don't even want to think about it again. Ever. So just shut up about it, okay?"

"Okay," Tsuzuki assured quickly, hearing the shake in Hisoka's voice. He pulled his husband back into the embrace. "I'm sorry."

"Just…can you stop dwelling on it, please?" Hisoka asked, turning his head away. "It won't change anything."

The last time this had happened, the last time the power that Akuko and Muraki's torture of Hisoka had unleashed inside Tsuzuki had threatened to take over the man's mind, was on a particularly dangerous mission just a year prior. Hisoka had been seriously injured, but he'd managed to drag himself out of his pool of blood to banish the red from Tsuzuki's eyes.

"I know," Tsuzuki said, releasing his hold and taking Hisoka's hand. "I guess…we should start fixing this up. And afterwards…I guess to Kokakuro, to tell Oriya that…"

He gestured around the battlefield, where not even a scrap of clothing that could be identifiable as Kira's remained.

* * *

"How you doing, miss?" 

Kushinada's head snapped up from where her bloodshot eyes had been staring into a teacup of hot water. Touda was standing over her, looking down on her quizzically, holding a sake dish in his fingertips.

"Not so great," Kushinada said with a small ironic laugh. "I have an awful habit of losing any family I get. Just can't seem to hold onto them." She choked on the last word and buried her face in her hands.

"Hm. You're not your typical demon-queen-next-door," Touda said, sitting on the ground next to the scaffolding where Kushinada had been sitting for at least an hour.

"I guess that's a good thing," Kushinada said, taking a deep, shaky sip of her tea. "Can I ask…how is _your_ family doing?"

"Suzaku stopped yelling at Hiko about fifteen minutes ago. Now she's crying. And scaring the hell out of him. Doubt that boy'll ever disobey her orders again." Touda allowed himself an affectionate chuckle at Suzaku's hysterics; his way of coping with the fact that he had almost lost someone as precious to him as his wife and his master.

"I'm glad to hear that," Kushinada said sincerely.

"Hey. What about you?" he asked, tapping her legs with his fist. "You've still got some of your family left. Tsuzuki."

"I'm just glad he wasn't hurt when Kira…in that blast."

"Why would he be?" Touda asked, straightening and turning towards her.

"The Holy Water…is toxic to us demons. The spray from the explosion might've…"

Touda racked his brain. Tsuzuki had never touched Holy Water as far as he knew, though he'd certainly been near it, but…there was that thing that Amaterasu had given him six years ago, for Hisoka's injuries. "He's touched Holy Oil before."

Kushinada smiled weakly, dredging up bittersweet memories of what the exorcist had explained to her when she had come across Kira's arsenal three days ago. "Holy Oil is oil and balsam. It can only heal. Holy Water both heals and kills. If I drank it or touched it…well, I'm only a _synthetic_ demon, but it would target the powers I was given. It could weaken me enough to kill me."

"And Tsuzuki?" Touda demanded.

"I don't know," Kira said, leaning her head back and looking up at the sky. "He's demon _and_ human…and since Susano started off in Heaven, Tsuzuki's part-angel, too. I have no idea what would happen to him if he touched it. I just…didn't want to take the chance."

"So keep this away from him, eh?" Touda said, and before Kushinada could acknowledge the comment Touda had snatched the vial from her side. "This all that was left?"

"That was all…Kira-sama…could afford not to use."

"But your evil genius has _got_ to be stronger than Shizonai. This isn't going to help much."

"Kira-sama told me there's a miko to Amaterasu-kami in Meifu. She doesn't know, but the miko might be able to create some, or beggar some off Amaterasu-kami."

"Nice crapshoot," Touda said.

"Huh?"

"Never mind." Even Touda himself wasn't aware when or where he picked up the metaphor. He stood, tossing the Holy Water in the air and catching it in his hand, before holding it up by the rim. "I'd better go warn Tsuzuki about this stuff. Thanks for telling me."

"You're welcome."

* * *

"The city didn't take much damage." 

"Thanks, I noticed."

"You don't have to be an asshole, you know," Hisoka snapped, glaring at his only Shikigami. "There's no law."

"Apologies," Kurikara muttered ambiguously. "What do you want?"

"I was walking past you. I wanted to say something."

"Like what?"

"Like something civil? Like…like "thanks for helping us fight earlier"?"

"I'd have done that with or without you."

"Again, with the law about being an asshole…"

"You'd be better off thanking your father, given how much hatred you harbor for him—"

"I know why he fought," Hisoka interrupted snappishly. "He wants revenge on Kushinada as much as she wants on us."

"Doesn't explain why he saved Touda's brat."

"Why the hell should I know why he did that?" Hisoka shot back, and Kurikara smirked at the loss of temper. Hisoka caught it and gritted his teeth.

"You're damn desperate to make your father the scum of the earth, Hisoka-neko."

"I have every reason to," Hisoka said through gritted teeth. "The man f-cking _abused_ me and took me off Life Support after letting me suffer in the hospital for three _years_. Pardon me if I'm not too keen on forgiving him for that."

"You wouldn't want my pardon anyway, even if I were to give it."

"That's probably true," Hisoka admitted unrepentantly. "Incidentally…"

"Yes?"

"What you said earlier."

"What about it?"

"Did your son forgive you? Or, would he have if he were still alive?"

"In that respect he was just as immature as you."

"So…you view us as the same?"

Kurikara shrugged. "I liked him better."

Hisoka could not smother the laugh that erupted suddenly from his throat. "I bet you did. I _hope_ you did."

"Aside from that…yes, you two are disgustingly similar."

Hisoka moved to reply, but Kurikara had disappeared into thin air.

* * *

Sometimes Suzaku hated being a mother. It was difficult, it was time-consuming, and most of all, it was terrifying. Especially when you had an eternally distracted and consequently disobedient son to look after. 

"I take it the boy is fine?"

Suzaku swung around, her hand going for the hilt of the zanbatou strapped to her back by its sheath.

"For Heaven's sake, woman, calm down," Nagare said flatly.

"Hmph. I'd just as soon treat you as an enemy as Kushinada," Suzaku snapped, turning around.

"Ah. Another person who hates my guts. You're becoming quite an organization, you know."

"Don't tell me you don't _expect_ our hatred," Suzaku said, snorting.

"Oh, I expect it. I was also at least expecting some sort of begrudging gratitude out of _you_."

"My son is alive because of you. I thank you for that."

"Well, then."

"But _your_ son is dead because of you."

"I realize that."

"One doesn't cancel out the other. I still think you're a scumbag."

"Ah. Then there's no reason for me to stay in your company, is there? I'll take my leave of you."

"Hang on a minute." Suzaku turned around once again. "Why _did_ you save my son? He's of no consequence to you."

"I had no reason to let him die. Good Lord, you people must think I kill and eat babies."

"Somehow that mental image isn't hard to construct."

"Well, _that's_ of no consequence to me. Think what you like. I saved your son because there was no reason for him to die. Whether you believe me or not is your own business. If you'll excuse me."

"Asshole."

"As you like."

* * *

"_Damn_ it's hot." 

Kushinada had not been exposed to high heat for six years and so the Fuyuu Desert, once a barren alternate dimension, now proved to be a sweltering refuge.

"Shit," she swore, wiping sweat off her brow. Her only ally remaining from Hell, now dead. The handful of surviving demons had left neither hide nor hair of their whereabouts, and it was laughable to entertain the notion they might want to do battle with those Shinigami again, if they were even up to the task.

She felt a twinge in her stomach at the thought of those demons, demons that had loyally served her and Susano a bare six years ago, now scrounging for survival in Chijou, a plane they could help shape but barely survive in, especially with Hell eradicated.

She bit her lip and forced them out of her mind. They were out of her sphere of influence now. The only thing that mattered was revenge.

She pulled her sleeve up her arm and conjured a ball of energy in her palm. With her free hand she flicked the small mass away and watched as it morphed, beginning to take shape into a tiny, parasitic Shikome. Perfect as a spy. Without a powerful arsenal for direct combat, espionage was the trump card.

She pointed to the small parasite, sending a telepathic message to him. Without acknowledging that its psyche had been touched, it flew off, back from where Kushinada had just come from.

* * *

And we're back to the Boring Set-Up Chapter From Hell™. I'm so sorry. I feel like I'm letting you guys down big time; I haven't written anything this crappy since the chapter six fiasco in Second Death. And the fact that it's taking me a month to pump out this drivel…I'm really sorry.

Please put up with this for a little while longer. The next chapter gets started in on the suspense, and from then on it's pretty much pure action until chapter fifteen.

Once again, I'm really sorry.


	10. Bearing Good News, Bearing Bad

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yami no Matsuei

**Shout-outs:**

kagehime: I'm glad you liked it. And thanks for the condolences.

AnimeAngelRin: I don't think it's too odd to have Hisoka and Kurikara be your favorite characters. My favorite characters in Rurouni Kenshin are Saitou and Tsubame—the former an ex-Shinsengumi master swordsman who believes in destroying evil wherever he finds it, and the latter a ten-year-old waitress as innocent and helpless as a newborn lamb.

laustic: Thank you much for the compliments, and also for reading/commenting my lj. Muraki's owner's guide has been posted, and the YnM Jukebox has been updated, too.

ShinigamixGirl: Does Nagare hate his son? (Evil Knowledgeable Grin) Keep reading…

Amethyst-eyed Koneko: That's odd; your review wasn't e-mailed to me. Huh, probably because you didn't sign in.

In case you haven't noticed, I have a love of shipping _and_ minor characters. Put them together, and…well. I'm actually very fond of the ship name I made up for Maria/Kijin: the JS Thunderous Voice (and actually, Maria gets to play a small part next chapter, as we transition to Hong Kong when Yoshiro's plot gets started). You should see my shipping lists for everything else, like Ragtime. I don't know anyone else who can ship Mother with Father, Tateh, _and_ Sarah (and if you don't know what Ragtime is, you are a deprived person and need to go buy the soundtrack _toot suite_).

Aacire: Thanks, darling. (Hug)

jennamarie: Just thinking about what I'm trying to do with Nagare makes my insides knot up with nervousness. This is totally uncharted territory for me. I can only hope that y'all like how this all turns out concerning what happens between Hisoka and Nagare. Especially since I'm stopping this storyline with Filial Piety. I'm out of ideas. (But then I can start working on the side-stories and prologues! Yay!)

I'm really glad that you mentioned how Tsuzuki taught Hisoka something besides hate, because I recently discovered this song which is that statement all over: "This Is to Mother You" by Sinead O'Connor, and amazingly, it _doesn't_ have a creepy incest vibe. Some lyrics: "For when you need me I will do/What your own mother didn't do/Which is/To mother you/All the pain that you have known/All the violence in your soul/All the wrong things you have done/I will take from you when I come/All mistakes made in distress/All your unhappiness/I will take away with my kiss, yes/I will give you tenderness … I'm here to mother you/To comfort you/And get you through/Through when your nights are lonely/Through when your dreams are only blue/This is to mother you."

Did I seriously write that it was a parasite? (Bashes head against wall) **NOTE TO ALL READERS:** By "parasite" I meant "insect". What is up with me lately? Please just excuse it as pre-graduation stress.

Masami-chan: Thanks, hon.

* * *

Bearing Good News, Bearing Bad

* * *

"Hey, Ru-chan."

Rui looked up, her face already set in a silent glare once she heard who was talking to her. "What do you want, Kasane?"

"You to take a muscle relaxant," Kasane replied breezily, pulling out a chair and sitting down. "You look constipated."

"You think you're witty, don't you?"

"Actually, yes. Byakko often comments to the affirmative on that point."

"I'm not interested in hearing about your love life."

"You know, for the very hateful way you've been acting towards me, it's still very telling that you're waiting for me."

"I'm waiting for my husband," Rui snapped, turning away.

"Well, he won't be along for a few minutes; I left before everyone else."

"Did you bring your monster boyfriend with you?"

"Byakko decided to stay in Gensoukai," Kasane said through gritted teeth. "There's damage control to take care of."

"Oh, so you met with Kushinada-youkai?"

"No. We met with a particularly nasty bear."

Rui stood up with a snort.

"Oh, calm down," Kasane said, grabbing her sister's wrist and pulling her back down into her chair. "Don't get all pissy on me. You walked into that one."

"If you don't mind, I'd rather just find my husband and get out of here."

"Good luck with that. Kushinada-youkai isn't dead."

"What?"

"We got her minion, but she escaped."

"Well, you're brilliant, aren't you?" Rui snorted contemptuously.

"Your husband was fighting, too," Kasane shot back. "And you might be interested in knowing of a little heroism on his part."

"Excuse me?"

"Not only did Nagare fight alongside us, he managed to rescue a child member of that Shikigami race you're so terrified of," Kasane said. "And furthermore, he went out of his way to do it."

"My husband is a good enough man to look past that abnormality."

"Or maybe he never gave a shit in the first place," Kasane retorted. "He's arrogant, and has _severely_ misplaced priorities, but a racist he isn't. The only one who ever cared about this "abnormality" is _you_, Rui, because you're scared of yourself."

"You can't blame me for that. Look at our parents."

"Look at _me_."

Rui did the exact opposite.

"You're lucky you're my sister, Rui," Kasane said with disgust, standing up. "In a lot of ways."

She turned on her heel and walked away, not waiting for an answer that did not come.

* * *

"This is gonna suck," Hisoka said, staring up at Kokakuro's sign, swatting an insect away from his face.

"I hate this," Tsuzuki said, biting his lip. "I haven't had to do this in a while, but it's just as awful as actually telling the _person_ that they're dead."

"Then let's just get this over with," Hisoka said in a rush. "And then we'll just go to Hong Kong and see Yoshiro."

"Should we leave him with Tsubaki?"

"Yeah. No way in Hell I'm bringing my little brother back here until that bitch is dead. What is with this bug?" He swiped a hand through the air, effectively pushing the insect away from his face.

A maid answered the door, one who recognized their faces, and bade them follow her towards Oriya's room. She left them silently, seemingly able to sense what kind of tidings they bore.

"Uh-oh," Oriya muttered matter-of-factly, looking up and catching sight of the two. "Normally when you two show up, something's happened. Usually bad."

"We're not going to break that pattern, unfortunately," Hisoka answered.

"Is Kira dead?" Oriya asked bluntly, face betraying no emotion.

"Y…es," Tsuzuki replied, taken aback.

"I had a feeling that would happen one day," Oriya continued plainly. "She was always such a stupid, reckless woman…I bet she died nobly sacrificing herself, right?"

"Yes," Hisoka took over, not as adept in showing his shock as Tsuzuki. "The second-in-command is dead because of her."

"I need better friends. Not _one_ of them has had the decency to say good-bye to me before they up and kick the bucket."

"Oriya?" Tsuzuki put forward cautiously.

"It's actually really damn annoying after awhile. I thought we Japanese were supposed to be famous for our politeness."

"Oriya!"

"What? It's not like I'm having an entirely inappropriate reaction to the death of my last friend or anything."

Silence.

"You _are_ at least here on her request, right?"

"She did ask us to give you her good-byes," Hisoka said, voice low.

"Better than the other two. Well, Ukyo didn't have much choice…"

Tsuzuki flinched at the memories surrounding Muraki's death. He glanced over at Hisoka, who had paled slightly.

"What are you going to do now?" Tsuzuki asked delicately.

"Who knows? Dismantle the life I built with that woman for the past six years, I guess. Where's Kushinada?" Oriya asked abruptly.

"In Meifu. She…didn't want to come."

"How is she?"

"We don't really know. She walked away after refusing to come."

"She probably feels responsible."

"What?"

"It's _her_ evil split-personality causing all this." Oriya rose from the floor and went for the window, his back turned to Hisoka and Tsuzuki. He unlatched and then opened the window, leaning outside into the evening air. He swayed, back and forth, halfway out the window and back into the room.

"Oriya?"

"Do you mind? I'm grieving." He turned around, almost collapsing back against the wall. "And you probably have somewhere to be. You neglected any mention of taking out the first-in-command."

"No…she escaped," Hisoka said.

"Then you'd better get going and destroy her before she kills someone else."

* * *

Ripping an inter-dimensional hole hadn't been easy, though Kushinada observed it was easier to create one between Meifu and Gensoukai than Hell and Gensoukai, especially for an artificial demon such as herself. Hiding out in Meifu was easy, as well. Simply pick a spot away from the Ministry building, and no one was the wiser.

She glanced up, feeling the small presence of her Shikome. She held out her finger for the small insect. As it perched on her finger her skin rippled and then came up to absorb her creation back into her body. She waited out the few seconds it took for the Shikome to be absorbed in her bloodstream.

"Huh…he didn't exist six years ago," she muttered to herself.

She turned, facing west, eyes narrowed. Once again she pulled up her sleeve and formed a sphere of energy, though larger this time. She tossed it away, palm up. The ball landed on the ground and began to take shape. As the light faded away, in its place stood a Shikome bearing strong reminiscence to Akuko.

She frowned at it, sending her orders into the creature's mind. It nodded its acceptance of the orders, then turned westward, reciting the basic facts in his mind.

Hong Kong. Tsubaki. Yoshiro.

* * *

Again, I am not too happy with it. It's not "wailing and gnashing of teeth" awful, but certainly not my best. Hopefully I can end this bad streak. My muses have too much PTO… 


	11. End of Innocence

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yami no Matsuei

**Shout-outs:**

AnimeAngelRin: Yes, they are. And thank you.

ShinigamixGirl: What will be Yoshiro's fate? Keep reading…and yes, I know I'm evil.

jennamarie: Answer me this: Is this cliffhanger better or worse than the one in Eden (between chapter nine and ten, when Hisoka is raped and Tsuzuki goes with Kushinada and Izanami)? No, you're not crazy…just a little obsessed. But then, I am, too. As for the Shikome looking like Akuko…just keep in mind those long black nails of his.

laustic: Thank you, love. (Snuggles) As for Rui…keep reading.

**Off-Topic Rambling:** Hearkening back to Eden here, but I found mythological justification for Muraki to be a demon. Looks like I (totally unwittingly) made him the demon Belial. Belial is a prince of Hell, has very respectful manners, and is a demon of lust, lies, and guilt.

**Author's Notice:** Sorry this took so long! Battle scenes are inspiration killers. Please forgive its shortness and the cliffhanger.

* * *

End of Innocence

* * *

"Tsu-baachan?"

"Yeah?" Tsubaki looked up from where she was curled up on the couch, reading. "What's the matter?" she continued, putting down her book, concern growing as she saw him pale and trembling. She had last seen him taking a nap on the recliner.

"Something _bad_ is coming here," Yoshiro said, accepting the open-armed invitation to crawl into her lap.

"Like what?" Tsubaki asked, concern instantly changing to fear. Hisoka had warned her of the boy's cognitive dreams. She stood up, clutching Yoshiro tightly to her chest.

"Like…like a _monster_," Yoshiro said, sensing her fright and clinging to her as she quickly walked down the hall and into her bedroom.

"Yoshiro, you stay right in this room and _do not_ come out, no matter what happens, until me or Eileen-baachan or Maria-san come and get you," Tsubaki said, setting Yoshiro on her bed. "You hear me?"

He nodded, looking up at her with fearful green eyes.

"Good," Tsubaki said, managing to smile at him and kiss the top of his head. "I mean it, Yoshiro, you stay right here," she warned, walking backwards towards her bedroom door. She shut it behind her, knowing full well that it wouldn't do any good if the attacker proved stronger than they.

"Eileen-dono? Maria?" She half-ran down the hall.

"I'm the only one here, Tsubaki," Maria called from the kitchen. "Eileen's filing a report at the Ministry, remember? Why?" She queried, seeing the look on Tsubaki's face. "What's wrong?"

"We're in serious trouble," Tsubaki said, face paling as she spoke. "Yoshiro saw something coming after us."

"A demon?" Maria asked, color draining from her own face, as well.

"No, probably a Shikome," Tsubaki answered, nervously running her fingers through her hair and pulling on a split end. The demons aren't strong enough to come after us."

"Where's Yoshiro?"

"My room. I don't want to leave him someplace where he could run off and I wouldn't know it."

"I'll go get Eileen," Maria said hurriedly, standing up. "How long do we have until that Shikome gets here?"

"I don't know," Tsubaki said, bordering on frantic. "I don't think Yoshiro can tell."

"I'll be right back," Maria said, disappearing as soon as the words left her mouth.

Tsubaki inhaled deeply, trying to still her nerves. With a twitch of her right hand four fuda slips appeared between her fingers. She was not especially fantastic at offense or even defense, another reason why she had desperately wanted to get out of working with Terazuma. The recent stint with Nagare was fresh on her mind.

"And he wasn't even _using_ magic," Tsubaki muttered to herself, swaying back and forth on her feet in a mock attempt at pacing.

"Tsu-baachan?" a small voice called timorously from down the hall.

"You stay in there, Yoshiro!" Tsubaki commanded, bordering on shrill. The door to her bedroom creaked and then clicked obediently shut.

"I don't really see the point of that."

Tsubaki whipped around, fuda slips materializing between the fingers of her left hand. Crouching on the windowsill, long black nails scraping the paint off the wall, the Shikome grinned toothily at her before kicking his legs out and landing on the kitchen table.

"I mean, we're just gonna take him anyway. Doesn't matter where he is when we find him."

Tsubaki's mind was blank when she threw the fuda in her right hand; all she registered was that the four slips landed on his face and exploded on impact. With a screech the Shikome fell backward into the yard, shattering the upper pane of glass with his head. As his bloody, burnt head appeared in the empty box of the window, glass crunching under his hand as he tried to pull himself up, Tsubaki released the arsenal in her left hand, blowing out part of the wall around the window as well as part of the Shikome's face.

She stumbled backward, startled, at the pained shriek courtesy of the monster. There was a faint cracking sound. Tsubaki blinked and then a hole was blasted through the wall underneath the window. She threw herself back, but not quick enough for a splinter of wood to avoid slicing through her right calf. She was knocked off balance and slumped up against the couch, hand pressed to her wound to stop up the bleeding.

Through the jagged, uneven hole, the Shikome, bloody, pink patches of dermis adorning his head and neck, stepped through. Part of his lip was ripped off, leaving his mouth in a permanent sneer.

Seeing him flick his hand Tsubaki ducked. A few strands of hair were singed off her head as stream of fire shot over her, instead hitting the wall around an electric socket. The socket crackled and then exploded; Tsubaki dropped to the floor and rolled away, her face shielded. The fire caught up to her as her back became perpendicular with the wall, and she screamed as she felt the fire slide down her neck and shoulders.

She heard running footsteps and clambered to her feet only to be knocked back down with a swipe of his long, pointed black nails across her cheek. He dropped down next to her. With a shriek she kicked out, her foot catching him in the face and forcing him back from her, but not before another swipe of his nails caught her injured leg and ripped the wound open even further.

There was a sliding sound as air was suddenly filled with physical matter, and then a soft thud. The Shikome lurched forward and then stumbled backwards, allowing Tsubaki to see the brick that had collided with the back of her attacker's head.

"Camille, look out!"

Tsubaki ducked as a blur of brown hurtled towards her. Sixteen fuda scrolls exploded against the Shikome's chest, ripping off fur and layers of skin, exposing muscle. His body slammed against Tsubaki and Eileen's bedroom door; from within Yoshiro screamed.

"Yoshiro!"

Tsubaki clambered to her feet, limping on her injured leg that seemed to refuse to heal properly. She reached out for the doorjamb to support herself, leaning into the doorway, fuda scrolls forming in her hand.

"_Camille!_"

For a moment Tsubaki could not breathe; a loud, harsh gasp was the returning of oxygen to her lungs. Her gaze traveled downwards, beyond a squalling Yoshiro under the Shikome's arm, to the monster's free hand. Five long black nails were only half-visible against her chest. Five thin trails of blood were steaming out from underneath the imbedded nails.

The Shikome ripped his hand away from her. Dimly Tsubaki heard running footsteps and felt Eileen catch her before she hit the floor as Maria ran past her after the retreating Shikome. Through increasingly darkening vision she saw the Shikome blast out another window and Maria grab his arm; the Shikome dug his nails into Maria's hand and ripped four slices between her knuckles, forcing her to let go of him. Maria's uninjured hand flailed to catch hold of Yoshiro and missed by a hair's breadth; Yoshiro's screaming faded as the Shikome's battered wings took to the air.

"Maria, go tell Tsuzuki and Hisoka what happened!" Tsubaki heard Eileen screech, even though it felt like a whisper to her. "I'm taking Camille to the hospital; I'll meet you there!"

The last thing Tsubaki saw was Maria disappearing and Eileen's tearful face leaning over her, saying something that Tsubaki couldn't hear.


End file.
